Personal computer

A personal computer is a general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities and original sale price make it useful for individuals, and is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer time-sharing models that allowed larger, more expensive minicomputer and mainframe systems to be used by many people, usually at the same time.

Software applications for most personal computers include, but are not limited to, word processing, spreadsheets, databases, web browsers and e-mail clients, digital media playback, games and many personal productivity and special-purpose software applications. Modern personal computers often have connections to the Internet, allowing access to the World Wide Web and a wide range of other resources. Personal computers may be connected to a local area network (LAN), either by a cable or a wireless connection. A personal computer may be a laptop computer or a desktop computer running an operating system such as Windows, Linux (and the various operating systems based on it), or Macintosh OS.

USS Swallow (AMS-36)

USS Swallow (MSC(O)-36/AMS-36/YMS-461) was a YMS-1-class minesweeper of the YMS-446 subclass built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was originally laid down as PCS-1416, and, when renamed later in her career, became the third U.S. Navy ship named for the swallow.

History

Swallow was laid down as PCS-1416 on 8 June 1943 by Stadium Yacht Basin, Inc., of Cleveland, Ohio; redesignated YMS-461 on 27 September 1943; launched on 8 January 1944, and commissioned on 22 June 1944.

YMS-461 departed Cleveland on 3 July and sailed down the St. Lawrence River. She made stops at Montreal, Quebec, and Halifax, before arriving in Norfolk, Virginia, on 22 August. She completed shakedown training out of Norfolk on 2 September and began patrolling the U.S. East Coast under the command of the Commander Eastern Sea Frontier. She patrolled for enemy submarines and escorted coastal convoys until mid-March 1945.

On 17 March, she got underway from Norfolk and sailed south, stopping at Miami, Florida, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, before transiting the Panama Canal at the end of the first week in April. She stopped at San Diego, California, from 20 to 27 April, and at Pearl Harbor on 6 May, then continued on to the Central Pacific Ocean. After brief stops at Eniwetok and Guam, she arrived off Okinawa on 27 June and served there for almost two months.

Nocturne

A nocturne (from the French which meant nocturnal, from Latin nocturnus) is usually a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night. Historically, nocturne is a very old term applied to night Offices and, since the Middle Ages, to divisions in the canonical hour of Matins.

History

The name nocturne was first applied to pieces in the 18th century, when it indicated an ensemble piece in several movements, normally played for an evening party and then laid aside. Sometimes it carried the Italian equivalent, notturno, such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's quadraphonic Notturno in D, K.286, written for four lightly echoing separated ensembles of paired horns with strings, and his Serenata Notturna, K. 239. At this time, the piece was not necessarily evocative of the night, but might merely be intended for performance at night, much like a serenade. The chief difference between the serenade and the notturno was the time of the evening at which they would typically be performed: the former around 9:00pm, the latter closer to 11:00 pm.

Nocturne (Secret Garden song)

"Nocturne" was the winning song in the Eurovision Song Contest 1995, performed in Norwegian by Secret Garden representing Norway. It was the second time Norway won the contest, after it had won in 1985 with Bobbysocks! song "La det swinge". For their performance at the Contest the Secret Garden duo of Fionnuala Sherry and Rolf Løvland featured two guest musicians; Norwegian vocalist Gunnhild Tvinnereim and Swedish nyckelharpist Åsa Jinder.

Eurovision victory

The song was performed fifth on the night, following Bosnia and Herzegovina's Davorin Popović with "Dvadeset prvi vijek" and preceding Russia's Philip Kirkorov with "Kolibelnaya dlya vulkana". At the close of voting, it had received 148 points, placing 1st in a field of 23.

The victory represented the second for composer Rolf Løvland, who had previously written "La det swinge". Additionally, it represented the first time in four years that Ireland had not won the Contest (although Sherry herself is Irish), thus bringing to an end the only hat-trick of victories in Eurovision history. Ireland would go on to win the next Contest, achieving the feat of four victories in five years.

Nocturne (disambiguation)

A nocturne is a musical composition inspired by, or evocative of, night.

Nocturne may also refer to:

Art

Music