Fictional universe

A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with events, and often elements, that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm (or world). Fictional universes may appear in novels, comics, films, television shows, video games and other creative works.

A fictional universe can be almost indistinguishable from the real world, except for the presence of the invented characters and events that characterize a work of fiction; at the other extreme it can bear little or no resemblance to reality, with invented fundamental principles of space and time.

The subject is most commonly addressed in reference to fictional universes that differ markedly from reality, such as those that introduce entire fictional cities, countries, or even planets, or those that contradict commonly known facts about the world and its history, or those that feature fantasy or science fiction concepts such as magic or faster than light travel—and especially those in which the deliberate development of the setting is a substantial focus of the work.

Universe (Planet X album)

Universe is the first studio album by instrumental rock/progressive metal supergroup Planet X, released on June 6, 2000 through Inside Out Music. The album is essentially a continuation of keyboardist Derek Sherinian's 1999 debut solo release Planet X, but this time as a full band effort featuring guitarist Tony MacAlpine and drummer Virgil Donati.

Critical reception

Glenn Astarita at All About Jazz gave Universe a positive review, recommending it for both "technically inclined prog-heads" and "those who feel that they've heard it all." He praised each musician for their technical prowess, but remarked that it was sometimes difficult to differentiate between MacAlpine's guitar and Sherinian's keyboard.

The staff at All About Jazz gave the album a glowing review, calling it "one of the best heavy progressive rock works of 2000". They described the music as "intelligent, hard-hitting, in-your-face, and massive" as well as an "amazing onslaught of sound." Highlights noted were "Europa", "Clonus", "Bitch", "Chocalate" and "2116".

Russell Webb (musician)

Russell Webb (born 1958 in Glasgow, Scotland) is a Scottish new wave bass guitarist who was member of bands like Slik, PVC2 (both with Midge Ure), Zones, Skids, The Armoury Show and Public Image Ltd, and collaborated with Richard Jobson and Virginia Astley and The Who.

Biography

Slik and PVC2

In 1977, future Ultravox and Live Aid face, guitarist and singer Midge Ure, drummer Kenny Hyslop, keyboardist Billy McIsaac and bassist Jim McGinlay had commercial failures as a band, named Slik, of different styles like glam and soft rock and bubblegum pop, playing since 1975 different promising songs such as "Forever And Ever" and "Requiem", but punk rock originated their falling, so McGinlay left in early 1977. Webb, who recently dropped out of university, replaced him and Slik changed their name to PVC2 and also their musical style to punk. It is unknown if McGinlay left or Webb replaced him when the band made those changes. PVC2 released one single, "Put You in the Picture", in 1977.

Greeks (finance)

In mathematical finance, the Greeks are the quantities representing the sensitivity of the price of derivatives such as options to a change in underlying parameters on which the value of an instrument or portfolio of financial instruments is dependent. The name is used because the most common of these sensitivities are denoted by Greek letters (as are some other finance measures). Collectively these have also been called the risk sensitivities,risk measures or hedge parameters.

Use of the Greeks

The Greeks are vital tools in risk management. Each Greek measures the sensitivity of the value of a portfolio to a small change in a given underlying parameter, so that component risks may be treated in isolation, and the portfolio rebalanced accordingly to achieve a desired exposure; see for example delta hedging.

The Greeks in the Black–Scholes model are relatively easy to calculate, a desirable property of financial models, and are very useful for derivatives traders, especially those who seek to hedge their portfolios from adverse changes in market conditions. For this reason, those Greeks which are particularly useful for hedging—such as delta, theta, and vega—are well-defined for measuring changes in Price, Time and Volatility. Although rho is a primary input into the Black–Scholes model, the overall impact on the value of an option corresponding to changes in the risk-free interest rate is generally insignificant and therefore higher-order derivatives involving the risk-free interest rate are not common.

Speed (serial)

Speed is a 1922 American action film serial directed by George B. Seitz. The story is a typically convoluted serial plot. Speed Stansbury is heir to a large fortune. A master criminal hires someone to frame Speed for murder and bank robbery. As Speed pursues the man who can prove his innocence to South America, he himself is followed by Lucy, the woman he loves.

Cast

Chapter Titles

1.The Getaway 2.Nerve 3.Pious Pedro 4.The Quagmire 5.Fighting Mad 6.Panic 7.Jaws of Danger 8.Caught 9.Hit or Miss 10.Buried Alive 11.Into the Crusher 12.Trimmed 13.Risky Business 14.The Peril Rider 15.Found Guilty

See also

References

Notes

Rainey, Buck, Serials and Series, a World Filmography, 1912-1956, 1999, McFarland & Co., Inc. Lahue, Kalton C., Continued Next Week, A History of the Moving Picture Serial, 1964, University of Oklahoma Press

Lotna

Lotna is a Polish war film released in 1959 and directed by Andrzej Wajda.

Overview

This highly symbolic movie is both the director's tribute to the long and glorious history of the Polish cavalry, as well as a more ambiguous portrait of the passing of an era. Wajda was the son of a Polish Cavalry officer who was murdered by the Soviets during the Katyn massacre.

The horse Lotna represents the entire Romantic tradition in culture, a tradition that had a huge influence in the course of Polish history and the formation of Polish literature. Lotna is Wajda's meditation on the historical breaking point that was 1939, as well as a reflection on the ending of an entire era for literature and culture in Poland and in Europe as a whole. Writing of the film, Wajda states that it "held great hopes for him, perhaps more than any other." Sadly, Wajda came to think of Lotna "a failure as a film."

The film remains highly controversial, as Wajda includes a mythical scene in which Polish horsemen suicidally charge a unit of German tanks, an event that never actually happened.