Loop device

In Unix-like operating systems, a loop device, vnd (vnode disk), or lofi (loop file interface) is a pseudo-device that makes a file accessible as a block device.

Before use, a loop device must be connected to an existing file in the filesystem. The association provides the user with an API that allows the file to be used in place of a block special file (cf. device file system). Thus, if the file contains an entire file system, the file may then be mounted as if it were a disk device.

Files of this kind are often used for CD ISO images and floppy disc images. Mounting a file containing a filesystem via such a loop mount makes the files within that filesystem accessible. They appear in the mount point directory.

A loop device may allow some kind of data elaboration during this redirection. For example, the device may be the unencrypted version of an encrypted file. In such a case, the file associated with a loop device may be another pseudo-device. This is mostly useful when this device contains an encrypted file system. If supported, the loop device is in this case the decrypted version of the original encrypted file and can therefore be mounted as if it were a normal filesystem.

Weapon (novel)

Weapon is a 1989 science fiction novel by Robert Mason. The book was Mason's first novel; he had previously written a memoir about his experiences in Vietnam titled Chickenhawk. The book is about an android, designed to kill, which experiences a crisis of conscience and runs away from its government masters to live in a Nicaraguan village.

Plot

The novel describes a new weapon system being developed for the US military, named Solo. A robot, Solo is designed to replace human soldiers in battle. It is humanoid in shape, in order to allow it to use all the military vehicles and equipment human soldiers do. Solo is capable of feats of great speed, strength and endurance.

Most importantly, Solo is governed by a neural network computer which is able to learn and think much as a human brain does. The robot's designer recognises that this could potentially make Solo as unpredictable and difficult to control as any human is; the military therefore insist that Solo be told a carefully edited version of world history and politics in which the United States are in all cases the unambiguously "good guys" and winners of all conflicts - for example Solo is told that the US won a clear victory in the Vietnam War.

Assassination Games

Assassination Games is a 2011 American action film directed by Ernie Barbarash, and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Scott Adkins. The film was released in the United States on July 29, 2011.

Plot

After a drug dealer puts his wife in a coma, assassin Flint retires. When a contract is put out on the drug dealer, Flint comes out of retirement, only to find that another assassin, Brazil, is also on the job due to the money. The two assassins reluctantly partner in order to combat corrupt Interpol agents and gangsters.

Cast

Production

Assassination Games began development under the working title The Weapon with Russel Mulcahy attached to direct. Initially Steven Seagal had signed on to star alongside Van Damme. After Seagal dropped out of the role, Vinnie Jones was considered to replace Steven Seagal, though the role eventually went to Scott Adkins. Shooting took place in Bucharest, Romania, and New Orleans, Louisiana.

Weapon (song)

"Weapon" is a song by Canadian alternative rock artist Matthew Good. It was released in October 2002 as the lead single from his debut solo album, Avalanche. The song peaked at No. 4 on Canada's Nielsen rock chart.

Music video

The music video for "Weapon" was directed by Matthew Good and Ante Kovac. In a later commentary, Good related that Kovac's first edit of the video was far too standard, with gratuitous and generic fades. After firing Kovac, Good flew to Toronto and worked with video editor Jay Deschamps to re-craft the footage. While working on the edit, Good began to experiment with overlaying text and adding still frames and stock photos to help deliver the message. Good noted that he felt that the video was his favourite from his catalogue.

The video won the award for "Best Video" at the 2003 Juno Awards. Due to Good's boycott of the Juno Awards, Kovac accepted the award alone.

In popular culture

Paranoia

Paranoia is a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself (e.g. "Everyone is out to get me"). Paranoia is distinct from phobias, which also involve irrational fear, but usually no blame. Making false accusations and the general distrust of others also frequently accompany paranoia. For example, an incident most people would view as an accident or coincidence, a paranoid person might believe was intentional.

History

The word paranoia comes from the Greek παράνοια (paranoia), "madness", and that from παρά (para), "beside, by" and νόος (noos), "mind". The term was used to describe a mental illness in which a delusional belief is the sole or most prominent feature. In this definition, the belief does not have to be persecutory to be classified as paranoid, so any number of delusional beliefs can be classified as paranoia. For example, a person who has the sole delusional belief that he is an important religious figure would be classified by Kraepelin as having 'pure paranoia'.

Paranoia (Eiko Shimamiya song)

Paranoia is a maxi single released by the J-pop singer Eiko Shimamiya. It will be produced by Geneon and I've Sound. The single is scheduled to be released on July 29, 2009, a month after releasing her fifth single Super scription of data. It has to be noted that this is Shimamiya's first single which does not have an anime tie-in. This single has also been contained in the I've Sound 10th Anniversary 「Departed to the future」 Special CD BOX which was released on March 25, 2009.

The coupling song To lose in amber -I'VE in BUDOKAN 2009 live ver.- is the live version of her visual novel theme song with I've Sound that she performed in their concert in Budokan last January 2, 2009.

The single will only come in a limited CD+DVD edition (GNCV-0019). The DVD will contain the Promotional Video for Paranoia.

Track listing

Paranoia (magazine)

Since 1992, Paranoia: The Conspiracy & Paranormal Reader has presented alternative views and marginalized theories of the inner workings of the cryptocracy. Subjects include conspiracy theories, parapolitics, alternative history, and the paranormal.

History and profile

Paranoia was founded during the zine explosion of the early 1990s. Specifically, it was established in 1992 in Providence, Rhode Island. The first issue had a black-and-white tabloid-style layout, with feature stories starting on the cover and continuing inside. Over the years, Paranoia evolved into a 72-page print magazine published three times a year, with a print run that reached 15,000 copies. It was sold on newsstands throughout the U.S., the U.K, and Canada, as well as to subscribers.

Paranoia received a 2001 Award of Merit in the Writer's Digest Zine Publishing Awards, and has been rated by Playboy magazine as a "Top 10 Zine." Pagan Kennedy of The Village Voice called it "Weirdness on a grand scale ..." containing "a dizzying web of connections." Alternative book publisher New Paradigm Books recently stated that Paranoia is "an original and provocative thrice-yearly magazine, with an occasional compelling focus on women writers."