Golem

In Jewish folklore, a golem (/ˈɡoʊləm/ GOH-ləm; Hebrew: גולם‎) is an animated anthropomorphic being, magically created entirely from inanimate matter. The word was used to mean an amorphous, unformed material (usually out of stone and clay) in Psalms and medieval writing.

The most famous golem narrative involves Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the late-16th-century rabbi of Prague. There are many tales differing on how the golem was brought to life and afterwards controlled.

History

Etymology

The word golem occurs once in the Bible in Psalm 139:16, which uses the word גלמי (galmi; my golem), meaning "my unshaped form", "raw" material, connoting the unfinished human being before God's eyes. The Mishnah uses the term for an uncultivated person: "Seven characteristics are in an uncultivated person, and seven in a learned one," (שבעה דברים בגולם) (Pirkei Avot 5:6 in the Hebrew text; English translations vary). In Modern Hebrew, golem is used to mean "dumb" or "helpless". Similarly, it is often used today as a metaphor for a brainless lunk or entity who serves man under controlled conditions but is hostile to him under others. "Golem" passed into Yiddish as goylem to mean someone who is clumsy or slow.

Golem (Dungeons & Dragons)

The golem is a fictional class of monster created for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game based upon the Golem of Jewish mythology. The golem first appeared in the original Greyhawk supplement (1975) written by Gary Gygax and Robert J. Kuntz and has since then became one of the most well-known creatures of the Dungeons & Dragons game.

Golems are magical constructs made of inert matter animated by high-level spellcasters through the use of powerful spells during magical rituals. The main aspect differentiating one type of golem from another is the material from which it is built. There are four standard types of golems, from weakest to strongest: flesh golems, clay golems, stone golems and iron golems. The flesh golem is created from human remains, and the others are created from earthen components: clay, stone and iron respectively. Virtually any material can be used to create a golem, and hundreds of different types of such creatures have been described for one edition or another of the game.

Golems (Discworld)

Golems in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series are derived from golems in Jewish mythology; early forms of a clay robot, supposedly awakened by a spell or priestly words to do people's bidding.

Pratchett's golems emphasise the similarity between golems and robots, especially Asenian (Asimov's own term for robots which obey the Three Laws) robots. Their "Chem" (the magic writing in their heads) restricts their behaviour, and is described in similar terms to the Three Laws of Robotics, except that the Chem powers the golem, as well as programming it. However, the Three Laws are considered fundamental to a robot's construction and cannot be changed: by contrast a golem's Chem is in full control of its behaviour. Thus, as Moist von Lipwig discovers, the First Law of Pump 19 (Mr Pump) begins as normal, "A golem cannot harm a human being, nor through inaction allow a human being to come to harm", but has as an addendum '... Unless Ordered To Do So By Duly Constituted Authority."

List of starships in Stargate

This is a list of fictional starships in the Stargate universe depicted through a series of television shows and three feature-length movies.

Ancient starships

The Ancients are one of the most technologically advanced races in Stargate, and this is reflected in their starships. Duplicates of these ships are utilized by their nanite creations, the Asurans, as they also possess knowledge of Ancient technology.

Puddle Jumper

The Puddle Jumper or Jumper is a small spacecraft used extensively in the Stargate Atlantis series. Puddle Jumpers were created by the Ancients and most exist within the city built by the Ancients known as Atlantis. The Jumpers are used by the humans from Earth that traveled to Atlantis so that they can travel to other planets as well as navigate the planets once they arrive—both in the air and underwater. Jumpers are cylinder-shaped with two retractable engines (see picture at right), one on either side, so that they can fit through the Stargate device. The interior of the Jumper is divided in two parts: cockpit and aft; the bulkhead door between the two sections is airtight and can hold even against the pressure of deep ocean. Access to the Jumper is provided by a rear ramp-hatch. Puddle Jumpers are armed with drone weapons capable of destroying larger ships. Jumpers are also equipped with a cloaking device to evade enemies which renders the ship effectively invisible to both the eye and most sensors.

Jimmy "Orion" Ellis

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Jimmy Hughes Bell (February 26, 1945 – December 12, 1998), stage name Orion, was an American singer. His voice was almost indistinguishable from Elvis Presley's, a fact which he and his record company played upon, making some believe that some of his recordings were by Elvis, or even that Elvis had not died in 1977. Ellis appeared with many artists including Loretta Lynn, Jerry Lee Lewis, Tammy Wynette, Ricky Skaggs, Lee Greenwood, Gary Morris, the Oak Ridge Boys.

Early life

Jimmy was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi on February 26, 1945, into a single parent home. His birth certificate states the mother as Gladys Bell and the father as Vernon (no surname). When he was two, Gladys left Jimmy at the Montgomery Children's Home where he was put up for adoption. Young Jimmy was taken in by R.F. Ellis and his wife Mary Faye, where Jimmy's surname was changed to Ellis.

While not much is known of Jimmy's early musical development, he told Goldmine magazine in 1985 that his idols included Elvis, Ray Price and Eddy Arnold and that his first public appearance was at the age of 17 at Orrville High's "Religious Emphasis Week". He sang Peace in the Valley. Subsequently, Ellis won the finals of a statewide talent contest in Alabama where he sang Unchained Melody and The Days of Wine and Roses accompanied only by a piano. The prizes: a trip to the Ted Mack Amateur Hour and a $1,000 savings bond.

Comparison of Internet Relay Chat clients

The following tables compare general and technical information between a number of IRC client programs which have been discussed in independent published literature.

General

Basic general information about the clients: creator/company, license etc. Clients listed on a light purple background are no longer in active development.

Release history

A brief overview of the release history.

Operating system support

The operating systems on which the clients can run natively (without emulation).

Unix and Unix-like operating systems:

Protocol support

What IRC related protocols and standards are supported by each client.

Direct Client-to-Client (DCC) support

Features

Information on what features each of the clients support.

See also