Vii

JungleTac's Sport Vii (Chinese: 威力棒; pinyin: Wēilì bàng; lit. "Power Stick") is a Shanzhai video game console similar in aspect to Nintendo's Wii. It was originally released in China in 2007. The Vii was not intended to be a seventh-generation console like the Wii, and was instead part of the dedicated console genre of inexpensive consoles with built-in games. It is based on the 16-bit Sunplus SPG CPU.

The Vii's Handybar controller is similar in size and design to the Wii Remote. It features motion detection but not the pointing capability of the Wii Remote. The Vii handybars also come in "Arctic White", "Hot Pink" and "Mint Blue".

A redesign of the console, colloquially called the Vii 2 by bloggers, features remodeled controllers and a console design reminiscent of the Nintendo Entertainment System and the PlayStation 3, as well as support for both NTSC and PAL televisions.

In 2008, the Vii was released in Japan under the name V-Sports (Sport Vii).

Games

Final Fantasy VII

Final Fantasy VII (Japanese: ファイナルファンタジーVII, Hepburn: Fainaru Fantajī Sebun) is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) for the PlayStation platform. Released in 1997, it is the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series and the first in the series to use 3D computer graphics, featuring fully rendered characters on pre-rendered backgrounds. It was also the first game in the main series to be released in Europe. The story follows Cloud Strife, a mercenary who joins the eco-terrorist rebel organization AVALANCHE to stop the world-controlling megacorporation Shinra from draining the life of the planet to use as an energy source. Cloud and his allies become involved in a larger world-threatening conflict and face off against Sephiroth, the main antagonist.

Development of Final Fantasy VII began in 1994. It was originally developed for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, but was moved to the Nintendo 64; since the Nintendo 64's cartridges lacked the required storage capacity for substantial prerendered movie footage, Square moved the game to the CD-ROM based PlayStation. It was directed by Yoshinori Kitase, written by Kazushige Nojima and Kitase, and produced by Hironobu Sakaguchi. The music was composed by Final Fantasy veteran Nobuo Uematsu, while the series' long-time character designer, Yoshitaka Amano, was replaced by Tetsuya Nomura.

Subtonic

In music, the subtonic is the scale degree below the tonic or, more specifically, the flattened seventh (♭VII): the lowered or minor seventh degree of the scale, a whole step below the tonic, as opposed to the leading tone, which is only a half step below the tonic. The distinction between leading tone and subtonic has been made by theorists since at least the second quarter of the 20th century.

The subtonic appears in three forms: as the scale degree, ♭, melodically and as the chord ♭VII in both ♭VII-I cadence and in modulations harmonically. The word is also used as an English translation of subtonium, the Latin term used in Gregorian chant theory for the similar usage of a tone one whole step below the mode final in the Dorian, Phrygian, and Mixolydian modes.

For example, in the A minor scale (white keys on a piano, starting on A), the subtonic is the note G (in C major this would be B♭); and the subtonic triad consists of the notes G, B, and D (in C: B♭-D-F). In music theory, the subtonic chord is symbolized with the Roman numeral ♭VII for a major triad built on the note, or ♭vii for a minor triad; in a minor key, the flat symbol is sometimes omitted by some theorists because the subtonic note appears in the natural minor scale, but the flat symbol is usually used for the major scale because the subtonic is a non-scale note.

BMW 503

The BMW 503 is a two door 2+2 grand touring automobile from the 1950s. BMW developed the 503 alongside their 507 roadster in an attempt to sell a significant number of luxury cars in the United States. The 503 and 507 cost about twice their projected price and did not recover their costs. During production from May 1956 to March 1959, 413 units of the 503 were built. Even though it was a top and prestige model it resulted in heavy losses for BMW.

Concept and design

Hanns Grewenig, sales manager of BMW, repeatedly requested the development of a sports car based on their 501 and 502 luxury sedans. In early 1954, influenced by the public reaction to Mercedes-Benz 300SL and 190SL show cars in New York in February 1954, the management of BMW approved the project.

Max Hoffman, an influential automobile importer in the United States, saw early design sketches by BMW's Ernst Loof, and suggested to industrial designer Albrecht von Goertz that he should submit design proposals to BMW. Based on these proposals, BMW contracted Goertz to design the 503 and 507 in November 1954.

BMW 501

The BMW 501 was a luxury saloon car manufactured by BMW from 1952 to 1958. Introduced at the first Frankfurt Motor Show in 1951, the 501 was the first motor car to be manufactured and sold by BMW after the Second World War. The 501 and its derivatives, including the V8 powered BMW 502, were nicknamed “Baroque Angels” by the German public. The BMW 502 was the first postwar German car to be manufactured with a V8 engine.

While the 501 and 502 model numbers were discontinued in 1958, variations of the model, with the same platform and body, were continued until 1963.

Background

Autovelo restarts "BMW" production

Production at BMW's motor car factory in Eisenach restarted in late 1945 with pre-war BMW models. However, Eisenach was in the Soviet occupation zone, and the cars were not being manufactured by BMW AG, but by the Soviet manufacturing entity Autovelo. Despite not being made by BMW, these cars bore the BMW logo and were being sold as BMWs.

Meanwhile, BMW AG restarted manufacture on a much smaller scale, starting with pots and pans, and eventually moving up to household hardware and bicycles. Eventually, with permission from the U.S. authorities and funding from the banks under which BMW had been put into receivership, they began manufacturing motorcycles in 1948.

BMW 303

The BMW 303 was a small family saloon produced by BMW in 1933 and 1934. It was the first BMW motor car with a six-cylinder engine and the first BMW motor car with the "kidney grille" associated with the brand. The platform developed for the 303 was used for several other BMW cars, including the BMW 309, a four-cylinder version of the 303, the BMW 315, a 1.5 litre version of the 303 which replaced it in 1934 and was built until 1937, the BMW 319, a 1.9 litre version of the 303 produced alongside the 315 from 1935 to 1937, and the BMW 329, a development of the 319 with styling based on the newer, larger BMW 326, that briefly replaced the 319 in 1937.

The 303 platform was also used for the BMW 315/1 and BMW 319/1. These were high-performance versions of the 315 and 319 respectively, with tuned engines and lightweight roadster bodywork. The 315/1 and 319/1 were replaced by the BMW 328 in 1936.

Design, engineering, and styling

Chassis and suspension

Upon its introduction in 1933, the 303 was the largest car BMW had made. The wheelbase of the 303 was 2,400 millimetres (94.5 in), an increase of 300 millimetres (11.8 in) over the 3/20. The track, 1,150 millimetres (45.3 in) at the front and 1,220 millimetres (48.0 in) at the rear, was also wider than the 3/20's 1,100 millimetres (43.3 in) front and rear. Unlike the 3/20's backbone chassis, the 303 had a ladder frame made from tubular side members and box-section cross members.