Insignia

An insignia (Latin: īnsignia, nominative plural of īnsigne, "emblem, token, symbol"), plural insignias, is a symbol or token of personal power, status or office, or of an official body of government or jurisdiction. An insignia is usually the emblem of a specific or general authority.

Legal restrictions

Official insignia are often protected by law as to allow their use only by people holding a specific office or staff members acting on behalf of such a person. Misuse, defacement and destruction of such symbols is considered an offense in many countries.

Examples

Typical examples of insignia include:

Insignia (novel)

Insignia is the first book in the Insignia trilogy by S.J. Kincaid. The Insignia trilogy describes a dystopian future in which World War Three is fought throughout the solar system.

Plot summary

Earth's natural resources are almost depleted, and the world is embroiled in World War III to control the remaining assets of the solar system. The Indo-American and Russo-Chinese alliances are fighting for supremacy through virtual reality (VR) battles in interstellar space.

Insignia is told through the eyes of Thomas (Tom) Raines, a 14-year-old boy whose skill with VR games has attracted the attention of General Terry Marsh, a leading general in the Intrasolar Forces. Marsh offers Tom a position at a secret military training base: the Pentagonal Spire.

At the Spire, trainees are retrofitted with neural processors, computer-like devices inserted into the brain. Tom trains under the supervision of Elliot Ramirez. Elliot is the public face of Camelot Company (CamCo), the secretive fighting force for the Indo-American alliance. With the help of his friend, Wyatt Enslow, Tom uses the capabilities of his neural processor to attempt to communicate with Medusa, the undefeated Russo-Chinese combatant. Tom thus discovers his ability to interface with the Russo-Chinese server and become a part of the system. Medusa invites him to battle in a VR simulation.

Best Buy

Best Buy is an American multinational consumer electronics corporation headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota, a Minneapolis suburb. It operates in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. All Best Buy Stores in China were closed in February 2011 and merged with Five Star. The company was founded by Richard M. Schulze and Gary Smoliak in 1966 as an audio specialty store. In 1983, it was renamed and rebranded with more emphasis placed on consumer electronics.

Best Buy's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and Cowboom. Best Buy operates under the Best Buy, Best Buy Mobile, Geek Squad, Magnolia Audio Video and Pacific Sales brands in the United States; the Best Buy, Geek Squad, Best Buy Mobile, and Future Shop brands in Canada; Best Buy Mobile and Five Star in China; and Best Buy, Best Buy Express, and Geek Squad in Mexico. Best Buy sells cellular phones with phones from Verizon Wireless, AT&T Mobility, Sprint Corporation, Boost Mobile and T-Mobile US, in regular stores and standalone Best Buy Mobile stores in shopping malls. Best Buy was named "Company of the Year" by Forbes magazine in 2004, "Specialty Retailer of the Decade" by Discount Store News in 2001, ranked in the Top 10 of "America's Most Generous Corporations" by Forbes in 2005 (based on 2004 giving), and made Fortune magazine's List of Most Admired Companies in 2006.