System

A system is a set of interacting or interdependent component parts forming a complex/intricate whole. Every system is delineated by its spatial and temporal boundaries, surrounded and influenced by its environment, described by its structure and purpose and expressed in its functioning.

The term system may also refer to a set of rules that governs structure and/or behavior. Alternatively, and usually in the context of complex social systems, the term is used to describe the set of rules that govern structure and/or behavior.

Etymology

The term "system" comes from the Latin word systēma, in turn from Greek σύστημα systēma: "whole compounded of several parts or members, system", literary "composition".

History

According to Marshall McLuhan,

"System" means "something to look at". You must have a very high visual gradient to have systematization. In philosophy, before Descartes, there was no "system". Plato had no "system". Aristotle had no "system".

In the 19th century the French physicist Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot, who studied thermodynamics, pioneered the development of the concept of a "system" in the natural sciences. In 1824 he studied the system which he called the working substance (typically a body of water vapor) in steam engines, in regards to the system's ability to do work when heat is applied to it. The working substance could be put in contact with either a boiler, a cold reservoir (a stream of cold water), or a piston (to which the working body could do work by pushing on it). In 1850, the German physicist Rudolf Clausius generalized this picture to include the concept of the surroundings and began to use the term "working body" when referring to the system.

System (journal)

System (ISSN 0346-251X) is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering the applications of educational technology and applied linguistics to problems of foreign language teaching and learning. It was established in 1973 and is published quarterly by Elsevier.

References

External links

Physical system

In physics, a physical system is a portion of the physical universe chosen for analysis. Everything outside the system is known as the environment. The environment is ignored except for its effects on itself. In a physical system, a lower probability states that the vector is equivalent to a higher complexity.

The split between system and environment is the analyst's choice, generally made to simplify the analysis. For example, the water in a lake, the water in half of a lake, or an individual molecule of water in the lake can each be considered a physical system. An isolated system is one that has negligible interaction with its environment. Often a system in this sense is chosen to correspond to the more usual meaning of system, such as a particular machine.

In the study of quantum coherence the "system" may refer to the microscopic properties of an object (e.g. the mean of a pendulum bob), while the relevant "environment" may be the internal degrees of freedom, described classically by the pendulum's thermal vibrations.

Steven Grant

Steven Grant (born October 22, 1953) is an American comic-book writer best known for his 1985-1986 Marvel Comics mini-series Punisher with artist Mike Zeck and for his creator-owned character Whisper.

Biography

Comic books

Grant has a long history scripting for both major publishers such as Marvel Comics and DC, as well as smaller companies such as First Comics and Dark Horse.

Beginning in the early 1980s Grant wrote a number of works for Marvel. In addition to bringing the Punisher back into the forefront of the Marvel Universe after a several-year lull, Grant has written Avengers, The Hulk, and fill-in runs on comics such as What If?, Spectacular Spider-Man, and Marvel Team-Up.

Grant wrote a conclusion to Steve Gerber's Omega the Unknown series in two issues of The Defenders at the end of which most of the original series' characters were killed. While Gerber seemed unhappy with Grant's conclusion, it nevertheless tied up the loose ends of the comic series. In 1982, Grant, Mark Gruenwald, and Bill Mantlo co-wrote Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions, the first limited series published by Marvel Comics. Grant and artist Mike Zeck produced a Punisher limited series in 1986 and an original hardcover graphic novel of the character three years later.

Badlands (Badlands album)

Badlands is the first album by the band of the same name. This album features Ray Gillen and Eric Singer, who previously played together in Black Sabbath. This album also features guitarist Jake E. Lee and bassist Greg Chaisson. (Eric Singer later played on the Greg Chaisson solo album It's About Time.) The album had sold 400,000 copies by 1990, according to Greg Chaisson, in a "Hit Parader" interview from that year.

Track listing

All songs written by Jake E. Lee, Ray Gillen and Paul O´Neill, except where noted.

© 1989 original release track listing:

© 2001 re-issue bonus track:
    11. "Ball & Chain" (Lee, Gillen) - 4:13

Track listing (Vinyl Release 1989, Atlantic 81966-1)

East Side

Badlands (video game)

Badlands is a 1989 arcade game published by Atari Games. It was later ported by Domark under the Tengen label to a number of home computers. It is set in the aftermath of a nuclear war and races around abandoned wastelands with many hazards. Three gun-armed cars race around to win prizes.

Gameplay

Badlands is effectively the spiritual successor to Atari's previous racing games Super Sprint and Championship Sprint. Similarly to the Sprint titles, Badlands pits three cars against each other in a three lap race around a small, single-screen circuit. Bonuses are present in the form of wrenches which can be traded for goods such as extra speed, extra acceleration or better tires

Unlike the Sprint games, Badlands expands upon the formula, taking place in a post-apocalyptic environment and equipping each of the players with cannons. In reality, the cannons do little except to slow cars down by repeatedly shooting at them, but the shop between levels offers the possibility of arming the car with missiles which will destroy the target car, placing it at a severe disadvantage as a replacement is brought onto the track, taking a few seconds.