Blocks (C language extension)
Blocks are a nonstandard extension added by Apple Inc. to their implementations of the C, C++, and Objective-C programming languages that uses a lambda expression-like syntax to create closures within these languages. Blocks are supported for programs developed for Mac OS X 10.6+ and iOS 4.0+, although third-party runtimes allow use on Mac OS X 10.5 and iOS 2.2+.
Apple designed blocks with the explicit goal of making it easier to write programs for the Grand Central Dispatch threading architecture, although it is independent of that architecture and can be used in much the same way as closures in other languages. Apple has implemented blocks both in their own branch of the GNU Compiler Collection and in the Clang LLVM compiler front end. Language runtime library support for blocks is also available as part of the LLVM project. The Khronos group uses blocks syntax to enqueue kernels from within kernels as of version 2.0 of OpenCL.
Like function definitions, blocks can take arguments, and declare their own variables internally. Unlike ordinary C function definitions, their value can capture state from their surrounding context. A block definition produces an opaque value which contains both a reference to the code within the block and a snapshot of the current state of local stack variables at the time of its definition. The block may be later invoked in the same manner as a function pointer. The block may be assigned to variables, passed to functions, and otherwise treated like a normal function pointer, although the application programmer (or the API) must mark the block with a special operator (Block_copy) if it's to be used outside the scope in which it was defined.
William H. Block Co.
The William H. Block Company was a department store chain in Indianapolis and other cities in Indiana. It was founded in 1874 by Herman Wilhelm Bloch, an immigrant from Austria-Hungary who had Americanized his name to William H. Block. The main store was located at 9 East Washington Street in Indianapolis in 1896. The company also identified itself as The Wm. H. Block Co., and Block's.
History
In 1910, a new eight-story store was constructed to designs by Arthur Bohn and Kurt Vonnegut Sr. of Vonnegut & Bohn on the corner of Illinois and Market streets. The new store at 50 N. Illinois Street officially opened it doors to the public on October 3, 1911.
Mr. Block was active in the business until his death in 1928, at which time the management of the company was passed to his three sons: M. S. Block, R. C. Block, and E. A. Block. The store was expanded to nearly double in size in 1934. The architect for the 1934 expansion was Kurt Vonnegut, Sr. During the expansion the building's interior and exterior was redesigned in a moderne style, including furnishings, stainless steel escalators, and two-story polished black marble and stainless steel facade entrances. Architectural drawings of the entrances became the trademark logo for the store on gift boxes, print advertisements, and company stationery. A company publication identified the store as, "one of the country's most beautiful department stores." Restaurants located within the Illinois Street store included the Fountain Luncheonette, the Terrace Tea Room, the Men’s Grille, and the James Whitcomb Riley Room. Block's was the second largest retail company in Indiana, its primary competitor L. S. Ayres & Co. being the larger. Other competitors included H. P. Wasson and Company and L. Strauss & Co.
IRiDES: Master of Blocks
IRiDES: Master of Blocks is an Independent developed commercially released videogame developed by Madpeet and the first game by GOAT Store Publishing in 3 years. It is a puzzle game for the Sega Dreamcast and iPhone that combines strategy and action, an easy to pick up and play and hard to master type of puzzler. The biggest inspiration for Irides has been Q Entertainment's Lumines. Upon release both versions of the game were received positively by critics. The game's release date was announced alongside Rush Rush Rally Racing in order to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the American Dreamcast.
Gameplay
Based around the concept of falling blocks, much like the Columns, Lumines, Tetris. Irides is a puzzle action game with some clever twists around conventional ideas. A 2 x 2 square (an O tetromino) made of four smaller block pieces is dropped into the playing field, which may appear different as the player advances through levels or skins. The small blocks that comprise the larger blocks will be one of two different colors. The objective is to rotate and align the blocks in such a way as to create 2x2 squares of the same color, which may span multiple blocks and, indeed, share blocks. For example, if one should get a 2x3 area of matching blocks, the middle portion will "share" itself with both the left and right halves and create two 2x2 squares. When too many unmatched blocks pile up to the point where no more blocks may be dropped in the playing field, the game ends.
Mat
A mat is a generic term for a piece of fabric material it is used for many things, generally placed on a floor or other flat surface, which serves a range of purposes including:
In domestic settings:
Mató
Mató (Catalan pronunciation: [məˈto]) is a fresh cheese of Catalonia made from cows' or goats' milk, with no salt added.
It is usually served with honey, as a traditional and emblematic Catalan dessert known as mel i mató.
Description and origin
Mató is a whey cheese similar to non-industrial variants of the fresh cheeses known as Brull in Maestrat, Ports de Beseit and the Southern Terres de l'Ebre and as Brossat in Andorra, Pallars, Menorca, Mallorca and parts of Occitania, as well as the brocciu in Corsica and other types of curd cheese such as Italian ricotta.
The Mató from the villages near the Montserrat mountain, such as Ullastrell and Marganell, is quite famous.
Mató is mentioned in the Sent Soví, a 14th-century Catalan cookbook, as well as in the El Noi de la Mare local Christmas carol. It was very popular during the Middle Ages, when it was made plain or scented with orange flowers.
See also
References
External links
Media related to Mató at Wikimedia Commons
Matō
Matō is a surname in the Fate/stay night series and can refer to the family name, or in reference to one of the following characters:
Podcasts:
