Ball (association football)

A football, soccer ball, or association football ball is the ball used in the sport of association football. The name of the ball varies according to whether the sport is called "football", "soccer", or "association football". The ball's spherical shape, as well as its size, weight, and material composition, are specified by Law 2 of the Laws of the Game maintained by the International Football Association Board. Additional, more stringent, standards are specified by FIFA and subordinate governing bodies for the balls used in the competitions they sanction.

Early footballs began as animal bladders or stomachs that would easily fall apart if kicked too much. Improvements became possible in the 19th century with the introduction of rubber and discoveries of Vulcanization by Charles Goodyear. The modern 32-panel ball design was developed in 1962 by Eigil Nielsen, and technological research continues today to develop footballs with improved performance.

History

In 1863, the first specifications for footballs were laid down by the Football Association. Previous to this, footballs were made out of inflated leather, with later leather coverings to help footballs maintain their shapes. In 1872 the specifications were revised, and these rules have been left essentially unchanged as defined by the International Football Association Board. Differences in footballs created since this rule came into effect have been to do with the material used in their creation.

Soccer (1991 video game)

Soccer (サッカー) (known in Europe as Football International) is a football video game with top-down perspective, developed by Tose for the Game Boy handheld, which was released in 1991.

Gameplay

The game consists of exhibition games (test match) and tournament games (world cup). In World Cup mode, one plays until one beats all other seven teams.

Eight national teams are represented in the game:

 Germany

 Italy

 France

 Spain

 England (the United Kingdom flag is incorrectly displayed)

 Brazil

 Japan

 United States

See also

References

External links

Soccer (1985 video game)

Soccer (サッカー, Sakkā) is a video game produced by Intelligent Systems and Nintendo as part of its Sports Series for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released in Japan in 1985, in the United States at launch in 1985 and in Europe in 1987. It was also released for the Family Computer Disk System in 1986. It is also available on the Virtual Console since June 12, 2014, to be bought from the Wii Shop Channel and the Wii U Nintendo eShop.

Gameplay

The objective is to kick the ball into the opponent's goal. The game features cheerleaders and the ability to choose between 15, 30, and 45-minutes halves. Pressing B passes the ball, while A shoots at the opponent's goal.

There are seven teams represented in the game:

BRA -  Brazil

ESP -  Spain

FRA -  France

FRG -  West Germany

GBR -  Great Britain

JPN -  Japan

USA -  United States

When beginning a game, the player chooses whether to play with one or two players. The single-player mode is against artificial intelligence with five variable difficulty settings. The player chooses between seven teams and sets a time limit of either 15-, 30-, or 45-minute halves. Games begin in the center of a horizontal field, which pans from side to side with player activity. The player closest to the ball controls it and can kick the ball at the push of a button. An indicator shows over the closest teammate headed in the same direction as the player. They can receive a pass of the ball. Shots on goal can be controlled with a small meter that represents the ball reaching over the goalie's head. Likewise, the player automatically controls their goalie when their opponent makes a shot on the goal.

Mirror (Transformers)

Mirror is the combined form of the Mini-Cons Rook and Crosswise, the partners of the enigmatic Sideways. Little is known about this tiny combiner's personality or abilities, as he is generally seen only as a passenger for the treacherous bulk's vehicle mode, generally separating when his master transforms so that one of his halves can form Sideways's head.

In his debut episode, Gale, he uses a disguaise to appear more like a motorcyclist. His head looks like a helmet, which is revealed to be a hologram. His body is covered in a leather outfit, which is later revealed to fold into Crosswise's Powerlinx port, or the equivalent of a belt buckle on Mirror. This disguise is never used again. He has no official English-language name, the closest he has being "Twins", as Sideways was originally solicited as "Sideways with Twins" rather than "Sideways with Rook and Crosswise". Thus, one could consider him this decade's equivalent of Bumper.

Mirror (dinghy)

The Mirror is a very popular sailing dinghy, with more than 70,000 built.

The Mirror was named after the Daily Mirror, a UK newspaper with a largely working class distribution. The Mirror was from the start promoted as an affordable boat, and as a design it has done a great deal to make dinghy sailing accessible to a wide audience. Although most popular in the UK, Mirrors are also sailed in other countries, notably Australia, Ireland, Sweden, Canada, the Netherlands, South Africa, New Zealand, the Philippines and the United States.

Design

The Mirror was designed by Jack Holt and TV do-it-yourself expert Barry Bucknell in 1962. It employed a novel construction method where sheets of marine plywood are held together with copper stitching and fibreglass tape. This is called tack and tape or stitch and glue construction. Buoyancy is provided by four independent integral chambers rather than by bags. It was originally designed to be built with simple tools and little experience, and this meant that the design was quite simple. For example, the characteristic 'pram' front reduces the need for the more complicated curved wooden panels and joinery needed for a pointed bow, and a daggerboard is used instead of a hinged centreboard. The result is a robust, versatile and fairly light boat that can be easily maintained and repaired, and can also be launched into the water very quickly from storage or transport. Although most experienced sailors would carry a paddle rather than oars, if necessary it rows well. If the transom is strengthened, an outboard motor can be used for propulsion.

Mirrors (Blue Öyster Cult album)

Mirrors is the sixth studio album by Blue Öyster Cult, released in 1979. Mirrors is the first Blue Öyster Cult album not produced by long-time producer and manager Sandy Pearlman. The album is notable for a collaboration with British fantasy/science-fiction author Michael Moorcock who co-wrote a song based on his novel The Fireclown. "The Great Sun Jester" is the first of several Moorcock co-writing credits with the band.

After the success of 1976's Platinum Agents of Fortune, 1977's Gold Spectres and 1978's Platinum live effort Some Enchanted Evening, the fact that Mirrors struggled to reach Gold status was disappointing to band and label alike. According to interviews with the band and the production staff, the intent for this album was to make a high charting and glossy production; however the backlash felt from this attempt was a reason for their future pairing with Martin Birch, and their attempt to return to a darker sound.

"In Thee" was written by Allen Lanier. It went in to the chart at No. 74. A live version is featured on their 1998 album Heaven Forbid, it features two acoustic guitars and was a popular "in concert" moment from this era. The line "Jim says some destinies should not be delivered" references the Jim Carroll Band song "Day and Night."