The Elder Scrolls

The Elder Scrolls is a series of action role-playing open world fantasy video games primarily developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The series is known for its elaborate and richly detailed open worlds and its focus on free-form gameplay. Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim all won Game of the Year awards from multiple outlets. The series has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide.

Development history

Before The Elder Scrolls

Prior to working on The Elder Scrolls series, Bethesda had worked predominantly with sports and action games. In the six years from its founding to Arena's 1994 release, Bethesda had released ten games, six of them sports games, with such titles as Hockey League Simulator, NCAA Basketball: Road to the Final Four ('91/'92 Edition), and Wayne Gretzky Hockey, and the remaining four adaptations from other media, primarily the Terminator series. Bethesda's course changed abruptly when it began its first action role-playing venture. Designer Ted Peterson recalls: "I remember talking to the guys at Sir-Tech who were doing Wizardry VII: Crusaders of the Dark Savant at the time, and them literally laughing at us for thinking we could do it." Ted Peterson worked alongside Vijay Lakshman as one of the initial designers of what was then simply Arena, a "medieval-style gladiator game."

Blade (archaeology)

In archaeology a blade is a type of stone tool created by striking a long narrow flake from a stone core.

Blades are defined as being flakes that are at least twice as long as they are wide and that have parallel or subparallel sides and at least two ridges on the dorsal (outer) side. Additionally, a tool must be part of an intentional blade industry in order to properly be considered a blade; tools which show the characteristics of blades through variation but are not intentionally produced with those characteristics are not considered true blades. Blades became the favoured technology of the Upper Palaeolithic era, although they are occasionally found in earlier periods. A soft punch or hammerstone is necessary in creating a blade and their long sharp edges made them useful for a variety of purposes. They were often worked to create scrapers or burins.

Cores from which blades have been struck are called blade cores and the tools created from single blades are called blade tools. Small examples (under 12 mm) are called microblades and were used in the Mesolithic as elements of composite tools. Blades with one edge blunted by removal of tiny flakes are called backed blade.

Blade (rapper)

Blade is a British rapper. His first single, "Lyrical Maniac (Raw Bass)", was recorded in 1989 and brought Blade to prominence in the then-fledgling British rap scene.

Early life

Born in the Armenian quarter of Iran, Blade came to London when he was 7. Because of the Iranian Revolution his family became unable to send money to support him. He remained in London, schooled in Blackheath, and spent a summer holiday in Hove with his brother and cousins who were studying there.

Blade started out as a break dancer and graffiti artist using the name Electron, before he was named "Blade" by a friend. The friend was later killed while painting graffiti on the underground, and Blade kept the name as a mark of respect.

His first contact with hip hop came in 1979. He began to write down the lyrics of songs he heard and performed them at school. The release of the Wild Style film made him realize hip hop's potential influence and made him determined to become part of the movement.

In 1986, he moved to New Cross. Unable to afford furniture or a social life, he spent time at home, writing lyrics and perfecting his style. During this time, that he wrote the track "Lyrical Maniac".

Tranan

Tranan (English: The Crane) is a steel suspended roller coaster at the Skara Sommarland amusement park in Sweden. Opening in May 2009, the ride is S&S Worldwide's first and only Free Fly roller coaster.

History

On 1 July 2008, a patent was filed by Timothy R. Jacobi and Stanley J. Checketts for a "Longitudinally Spinning Suspension Roller Coaster". This concept was later revealed to be a new model of roller coaster by S&S Worldwide named the Free Fly.

Shortly after the filing of the patent, Parks & Resorts Scandinavia announced their plans to add new roller coasters at three of their parks in 2009. This announcement included Tranan at Skara Sommarland which was the world's first Free Fly roller coaster. After a period of construction from late 2008 through to early 2009, Tranan officially opened to the public on 29 May 2009.

Ride experience

The ride begins with a left turn out of the station. Upon reaching the top of the 57-foot-tall (17 m) chain lift hill, the train descends down a small dip into a series of helices and track inversions (one clockwise and one anti-clockwise). For the majority of the ride, the vehicles remain vertical with only slight banking occurring on various turns. Riders therefore do not experience traditional roller coaster inversions.On-ride photos can be purchased following the ride.

Crane, Missouri

Crane (formerly Hickory Grove) is a city in Stone County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,462 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Branson, Missouri Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The town now known as Crane, Missouri, had its beginning under another name. In the early 1880s the little group of homes, a general store or two, a mill, and a blacksmith shop was known as Hickory Grove. It nestled on the south bank of Crane Creek in the vicinity of the Christian Church, and took its name from a log school located on the ground just north of the church near the Dodge Hollow bridge. The community's children were gathered there under the watchful eye of John C. Hayes, one of the first teachers. The school also served as a meeting house and place of worship when occasional preachers came through and held meetings. A little cemetery was located farther east on what is now part of the Lockhart place. A great flood in the Summer of 1882 washed away wheat shocks in the valley and some of the graves, so the burial place was located back on higher ground. Among the earliest merchants were Tom Fought, who had the first general store, and James T. Moore; O. F. Douglas and a Mr. Rinker also ran stores. John J. "Cotton" Williams had a drugstore near where Raymond Dearing's home now stands. John Brown had the blacksmith shop. The mill was operated at different times by Lee and Wiley, and later by Uncle Ike Long. O. F. Douglas was also one of the community's first school teachers. The medical profession was represented in Dr. Wasson and Dr. Langston, who had come to minister to the little community.

Crane (machine)

A crane is a type of machine, generally equipped with a hoist rope, wire ropes or chains, and sheaves, that can be used both to lift and lower materials and to move them horizontally. It is mainly used for lifting heavy things and transporting them to other places. It uses one or more simple machines to create mechanical advantage and thus move loads beyond the normal capability of a human. Cranes are commonly employed in the transport industry for the loading and unloading of freight, in the construction industry for the movement of materials and in the manufacturing industry for the assembling of heavy equipment.

The first known construction cranes were invented by the Ancient Greeks and were powered by men or beasts of burden, such as donkeys. These cranes were used for the construction of tall buildings. Larger cranes were later developed, employing the use of human treadwheels, permitting the lifting of heavier weights. In the High Middle Ages, harbour cranes were introduced to load and unload ships and assist with their construction – some were built into stone towers for extra strength and stability. The earliest cranes were constructed from wood, but cast iron, iron and steel took over with the coming of the Industrial Revolution.