Last

A last is a mechanical form that has a shape similar to that of a human foot. It is used by shoemakers and cordwainers in the manufacture and repair of shoes. Lasts typically come in pairs and have been made from various materials, including hardwoods, cast iron, and high-density plastics.

Production

Lasts come in many styles and sizes, depending on the exact job they are designed for. Common variations include simple one-size lasts used for repairing soles and heels, durable lasts used in modern mass production, and custom-made lasts used in the making of bespoke footwear. Though a last is made approximately in the shape of a human foot, the precise shape is tailored to the kind of footwear being made. For example, a boot last would be designed to hug the instep for a close fit. Modern last shapes are typically designed using dedicated computer-aided design software.

Historically, lasts were typically made from hardwoods and cast iron because these materials retain their shape, even when in contact with wet materials (like leather) and subjected to the mechanical stresses of stretching and shaping shoes on them. Today, wooden lasts are generally used only for bespoke shoemaking, particularly in Europe and North America.

Last (Unthanks album)

Last, the fourth album by English folk group The Unthanks, was released on 14 March 2011. It reached number 40 in the UK Albums Chart and was well received by the critics, receiving a five-starred review in the Sunday Express and four-starred reviews in The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph.

Songs

As well as traditional material, the album included a song written by band member Adrian McNally ("Last"), and versions of songs by Jon Redfern ("Give Away Your Heart"), Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan ("No One Knows I'm Gone"), King Crimson ("Starless") and Alex Glasgow ("Close the Coalhouse Door"). "Last" was also issued as a single, edited for radio play; this was released on 13 June 2011.

Production and release

The album was produced by Adrian McNally; he and Thom Lewis were the sound engineers. The album was mastered by Denis Blackham and was released in the UK by Rabble Rouser Music on 14 March 2011. It was released in Europe by Rough Trade Records and in Australia on the Fuse Music Group label.

Last (Uverworld album)

LAST is the 5th full album released by Japanese band Uverworld as well as the follow-up to their fourth album, Awakeve. It was released on April 14, 2010. A limited pressing of the album was also released on the same day which includes a DVD containing music videos of 99/100 Damashi no Tetsu (99/100騙しの哲?), Go-On and Kanashimi wa Kitto (哀しみはきっと?) as well as a video of the filming process for their 3 music videos and a bonus clip "Special Track 09.12.25: Turn Around with Gold" which is a Gold special video.

The album was one of the highly anticipated album and was ranked #2 at the Ninki Chart and was charted at #2 for Oricon Weekly Ranking.

The title means the present time's highest, newest and the ultimate album.

Track listing

Personnel

References

Theory

Theory is a contemplative and rational type of abstract or generalizing thinking, or the results of such thinking. Depending on the context, the results might for example include generalized explanations of how nature works. The word has its roots in ancient Greek, but in modern use it has taken on several different related meanings. A theory is not the same as a hypothesis. A theory provides an explanatory framework for some observation, and from the assumptions of the explanation follows a number of possible hypotheses that can be tested in order to provide support for, or challenge, the theory.

A theory can be normative (or prescriptive), meaning a postulation about what ought to be. It provides "goals, norms, and standards". A theory can be a body of knowledge, which may or may not be associated with particular explanatory models. To theorize is to develop this body of knowledge.

As already in Aristotle's definitions, theory is very often contrasted to "practice" (from Greek praxis, πρᾶξις) a Greek term for "doing", which is opposed to theory because pure theory involves no doing apart from itself. A classical example of the distinction between "theoretical" and "practical" uses the discipline of medicine: medical theory involves trying to understand the causes and nature of health and sickness, while the practical side of medicine is trying to make people healthy. These two things are related but can be independent, because it is possible to research health and sickness without curing specific patients, and it is possible to cure a patient without knowing how the cure worked.

Chess theory

The game of chess is commonly divided into three phases: the opening, middlegame, and endgame. There is a large body of theory regarding how the game should be played in each of these phases, especially the opening and endgame. Those who write about chess theory, who are often but not necessarily also eminent players, are referred to as "theorists" or "theoreticians".

"Opening theory" commonly refers to consensus, broadly represented by current literature on the openings. "Endgame theory" consists of statements regarding specific positions, or positions of a similar type, though there are few universally applicable principles. "Middlegame theory" often refers to maxims or principles applicable to the middlegame. The modern trend, however, is to assign paramount importance to analysis of the specific position at hand rather than to general principles.

The development of theory in all of these areas has been assisted by the vast literature on the game. In 1913, preeminent chess historian H. J. R. Murray wrote in his 900-page magnum opus A History of Chess that, "The game possesses a literature which in contents probably exceeds that of all other games combined." He estimated that at that time the "total number of books on chess, chess magazines, and newspapers devoting space regularly to the game probably exceeds 5,000". In 1949, B. H. Wood opined that the number had increased to about 20,000.David Hooper and Kenneth Whyld wrote in 1992 that, "Since then there has been a steady increase year by year of the number of new chess publications. No one knows how many have been printed..." The world's largest chess library, the John G. White Collection at the Cleveland Public Library, contains over 32,000 chess books and serials, including over 6,000 bound volumes of chess periodicals. Chess players today also avail themselves of computer-based sources of information.

Theory (mathematical logic)

In mathematical logic, a theory (also called a formal theory) is a set of sentences in a formal language. Usually a deductive system is understood from context. An element of a theory is then called an axiom of the theory, and any sentence that follows from the axioms () is called a theorem of the theory. Every axiom is also a theorem. A first-order theory is a set of first-order sentences.

Theories expressed in formal language generally

When defining theories for foundational purposes, additional care must be taken and normal set-theoretic language may not be appropriate.

The construction of a theory begins by specifying a definite non-empty conceptual class , the elements of which are called statements. These initial statements are often called the primitive elements or elementary statements of the theory, to distinguish them from other statements which may be derived from them.

A theory is a conceptual class consisting of certain of these elementary statements. The elementary statements which belong to are called the elementary theorems of and said to be true. In this way, a theory is a way of designating a subset of which consists entirely of true statements.

Zoon

Zoon, Nefilim's only studio album, was released in April 1996 by Beggars Banquet Records (Calatogue number BEGA172). The album saw a move away from the rich soundscapes that characterised earlier works from Fields of the Nephilim towards a darker, more industrial/death metal sound. McCoy has stated that the album was in development hell for several years due to restrictions from the record label. The album is dedicated to Scarlett McCoy, Carl McCoy's daughter.

A music video was created for "Penetration", and the song was later covered by Polish band Behemoth on their EP Slaves Shall Serve.

The album is a concept album, and while McCoy remained largely silent about the themes, one possible explanation is that the story revolves around the Watchers and the Book of Enoch. The word "zoon" is derived from Greek, meaning "living creature" or "beast".

Track listing