Van Riebeeck was born in Culemborg in the Netherlands as the son of a surgeon. He grew up in Schiedam, where he married 19-year old Maria de la Quellerie on 28 March 1649. (She died in Malacca, now part of Malaysia, on 2 November 1664, at the age of 35). The couple had eight children, most of whom did not live through infancy. Their son Abraham van Riebeeck, born at the Cape, later became Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies.
Joining the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in 1639, he served in many posts, like an assistant surgeon in the Batavia in the East Indies. He then went to Japan. His most important position was that of head of the VOC trading post in Tonkin, Vietnam. However, he was called back from this post as it was found that he was working trade for his own account.
In 1651 he was asked to undertake the command of the initial Dutch settlement in the future South Africa. He landed three ships "Drommedaris", "Reijger" and "Goede Hoop" at the future Cape Town on 6 April 1652 and strongly make the site as a way-station for the VOC trade route between the Netherlands and the East Indies. The "Walvisch" and the "Oliphant" came later, having had 130 burials at sea.
Measles
Measles is an infectious disease, caused by a virus. People catch measles from other people. It is passed on in tiny drops of water when people breathe. People with measles have a sore throat, a fever, a cough, red eyes and a runny nose. They also have a bumpy red rash all over their body. These rashes will cause a high irritation of itching.
Measles is very infectious, which means it is easy to catch. If someone in a house has measles, it is very likely that other people in the house will also get it. In developed countries, lots of children have a vaccination (injection) to stop them from getting measles. Often they are given the MMR vaccine, to stop them getting measles, mumps and rubella. The three vaccinations are all in one injection.
Measles is sometimes also called "rubeola", but it is not the same as rubella (German measles). The German Measles (rubella) was discovered by German scientists.
There is no specific cure for measles. People with measles may rest and take medicines to make them feel better, to stop pain and make fevers go away. Most people that have measles recover, but some people die from it. In the 19th century measles epidemics killed many Polynesian people.
Emperor Seinei
No certain dates can be assigned to this emperor's life or reign. The conventionally accepted names and sequence of the early emperors were not to be confirmed as "traditional" until the reign of Emperor Kammu, who was the 50th monarch of the Yamato dynasty.
According to "Kojiki" and "Nihonshoki", Seinei was a son of Emperor Yūryaku.
Seinei fathered no children. He adopted two grandsons of Emperor Richū. Each would attain the throne; and they would become known as Emperor Ninken and as Emperor Kenzo
Very little is known about the events of Seinei's life and reign. Only limited information is available for study prior to the reign of the 29th monarch, Emperor Kimmei.
After the death of his father, Seinei overcame others in the struggle for power.
This emperor's official name after his death (his posthumous name) was regularized many centuries after the lifetime which was ascribed to Seinei.
According to the Imperial Household Agency, the emperor's final resting place is in an earthen tumulus ("kofun"). This emperor is venerated at a memorial Shinto shrine ("misasagi") which is associated with the burial mound.
Xiphactinus
Xiphactinus (from Latin and Greek for "sword-ray") was a large, 4.5 to 5 m (15 to 20 feet) long predatory bony fish that lived in the Western Interior Sea, over what is now the middle of North America, during the Late Cretaceous. Skeletal remains of Xiphactinus have come from Kansas, Alabama, and Georgia in the United States, as well as Europe and Australia.
Above all else, "Xiphactinus" was a great swimmer, able to speed towards or away from virtually anything else in the seas of the time. It may have been able to leap above the waves at times to help dislodge parasites from its skin. It was not however immune from attack. If injured, its large size meant it was easy to spot and could become prey for sharks, Mosasaurs, and other Xiphactinus.
Emperor Kenzō
No certain dates can be assigned to this emperor's life or reign. The conventionally accepted names and sequence of the early emperors were not to be confirmed as "traditional" until the reign of Emperor Kammu, who was the 50th monarch of the Yamato dynasty.
Kenzō was a grandson of Emperor Richū; and he was adopted as heir by the childless Emperor Seinei.
Very little is known about the events of Kenzō's life and reign. Only limited information is available for study prior to the reign of the 29th monarch, Emperor Kimmei.
This emperor's official name after his death (his posthumous name) was regularized many centuries after the lifetime which was ascribed to Kenzō.
According to the Imperial Household Agency, Kenzō final resting place is in an earthen tumulus ("kofun"). This emperor is venerated at a memorial Shinto shrine ("misasagi") which is associated with the burial mound.
Kofun
These burial mounds are referenced in the name of the Kofun period (middle 3rd century - early-middle 6th century).
Many of the kofun have a keyhole-shaped mound () which is unique to ancient Japan.
Chess and computers
Chess and computers have been connected since the earliest days of the computer. In the 19th century Charles Babbage had thought of the idea, and in modern times Alan Turing, the mathematician and Bletchley Park codebreaker, put some thought into the idea. He was not a very good chess player, but was one of the creators of the first British computer. He is also credited with the creation of Computer science.
There are two types of chess programs. One plays against a human opponent; the other helps the user become a better player. The two types can be made to work together, though they have different functions and work in different ways.
Chess engines are computer systems that can play chess games against human opponents. Many have been created; they can play at master level, though their processes are quite different from those of a human being.<ref name="H/W">Hooper D. and Whyld K. 1992. "The Oxford companion to chess". 2nd ed, Oxford University Press.</ref> The best engines on the fastest computers have won matches against both Kasparov and Kramnik, but the software can be used at an easier level for a learner.
Competitions are run by putting engines against each other, and the results are published. There is a World Computer Chess Championship, in which the details of the rules may determine which software wins. Software may also be rated on other scales, such as ease of usage.
Fritz is a German chess program by Frans Morsch and Mathias Feist, published by ChessBase. It is the current market leader. There is also a different kind of Fritz called "Deep Fritz" that is made for multi-processing. The latest kinds of the consumer products are Deep Fritz 12 and Fritz 12. They came with reviews by Josh Waitzkin, who said that "Fritz is like a woman that you can't get with. It just drives (makes) you to think in ways you've never thought before".
Shredder is a leading engine. It is also owned by ChessBase. It comes in various forms: Shredder 12, Deep Shredder 12; Shredder Classic. It has a reputation of being hard.
Rybka, a product by Vasik Rajlich, is Shredder's main rival. Rybka 4 is their latest version.
Chess databases do not actually play. They give access to the recorded history of master chess. There are two components. First, there is the software, which lets one search and organise the database material. Then there is the actual database, typically one to four million games.