A group biography of seven enduring and beloved games, and the story of why—and how—we play them. Checkers, backgammon, chess, and Go. Poker, Scrabble, and bridge. These seven games, ancient and modern, fascinate millions of people worldwide. In Seven Games, Oliver Roeder charts their origins and historical importance, the delightful arcana of their rules, and the ways their design makes them pleasurable. Roeder introduces thrilling competitors, such as evangelical minister Marion Tinsley, who across forty years lost only three games of checkers; Shusai, the Master, the last Go champion of imperial Japan, defending tradition against “modern rationalism”; and an IBM engineer who created a backgammon program so capable at self-learning that NASA used it on the space shuttle. He delves into the history and lore of each game: backgammon boards in ancient Egypt, the Indian origins of chess, how certain shells from a particular beach in Japan make the finest white Go stones. Beyond the cultural and personal stories, Roeder explores why games, seemingly trivial pastimes, speak so deeply to the human soul. He introduces an early philosopher of games, the aptly named Bernard Suits, and visits an Oxford cosmologist who has perfected a computer that can effectively play bridge, a game as complicated as human language itself. Throughout, Roeder tells the compelling story of how humans, pursuing scientific glory and competitive advantage, have invented AI programs better than any human player, and what that means for the games—and for us. Funny, fascinating, and profound, Seven Games is a story of obsession, psychology, history, and how play makes us human.
Examination Thesis from the year 2000 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 2.0 (B), University of Koblenz-Landau (Anglistics), language: English, abstract: This paper is about linguistic imperialism and linguistic ecology in respect of the indigenous languages of Australia. The linguistic complexities in Australia are immense, as are the fields of research of linguistic imperialism and linguistic ecology. Neither is the research in the fields mentioned above terminated nor has the development in Australia reached an end. As a result, the paper is only able to provide a snapshot. The first chapter serves as an introduction. The reader should familiarize her-/ himself with the history and culture of a people, which is unique and distinct from any other civilization. It refers to the initial settlement of the Australian continent, as well as it touches in short specific traits of Aboriginal culture. Answers are provided to questions like, ‘What is language?’, ‘What are the characteristics of Aboriginal languages and Aboriginal English?’ Linguistic imperialism will be discussed in chapter two. From what point on can a relationship between any given subjects be called, in its widest meaning, imperialistic? The chapter refers to Galtung (1980), whose observations are still valid today and gives a historical overview of the rise of the English language from a European Germanic language spoken on the British Islands to a global language, especially focusing on the development in the 19th and 20th century. Linguistic ecology is a rather new field of research in linguistics. Chapter three reflects on a research orientation which developed in the 1960s and 1970s due to Haugen, who gave the term ecology a linguistic meaning. It tries to show the parallels between biodiversity and cultural/ linguistic diversity and why it has become so important to be aware that not only plants and animals are seriously endangered and need special protection, but also languages. Additionally, other fields of interest of language ecology are introduced in the chapter. The last chapter deals with the impact European settlement had on indigenous language variety, and the problems contemporary Australian society is confronted with. Australia’s language policy will not only be outlined in regard of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander’s native tongue, but also in regard of community languages. Which possibilities has the Australian government to deal with the problem and which language maintenance efforts have been called into action so far? Australian Aborigines 3 1 Australian Aborigines [...]
A group biography of seven enduring and beloved games, and the story of why—and how—we play them. Checkers, backgammon, chess, and Go. Poker, Scrabble, and bridge. These seven games, ancient and modern, fascinate millions of people worldwide. In Seven Games, Oliver Roeder charts their origins and historical importance, the delightful arcana of their rules, and the ways their design makes them pleasurable. Roeder introduces thrilling competitors, such as evangelical minister Marion Tinsley, who across forty years lost only three games of checkers; Shusai, the Master, the last Go champion of imperial Japan, defending tradition against “modern rationalism”; and an IBM engineer who created a backgammon program so capable at self-learning that NASA used it on the space shuttle. He delves into the history and lore of each game: backgammon boards in ancient Egypt, the Indian origins of chess, how certain shells from a particular beach in Japan make the finest white Go stones. Beyond the cultural and personal stories, Roeder explores why games, seemingly trivial pastimes, speak so deeply to the human soul. He introduces an early philosopher of games, the aptly named Bernard Suits, and visits an Oxford cosmologist who has perfected a computer that can effectively play bridge, a game as complicated as human language itself. Throughout, Roeder tells the compelling story of how humans, pursuing scientific glory and competitive advantage, have invented AI programs better than any human player, and what that means for the games—and for us. Funny, fascinating, and profound, Seven Games is a story of obsession, psychology, history, and how play makes us human.
Searingly honest' - Paul Hayward, Daily Telegraph 'illuminating' - Martin Samuel, Daily Mail 'warts-and-all ... unsparing, honest' GQ magazine Kieron Dyer's memoir, Old Too Soon, Smart Too Late, is the first intimate and unsparing portrait of the failures and excesses of the generation of English footballers made rich beyond their wildest dreams by the post-1990 World Cup boom in the game and the explosion of the Premier League. It shares the same brutal honesty and self-awareness of the bestselling No Nonsense by Joey Barton and GoodFella by Craig Bellamy. In the public mind, Kieron Dyer came to symbolise so much of what was self-destructive about a group of football players known collectively as the 'Baby Bentley generation'. Nicknamed 'The King of Bling' by the tabloid press, Dyer was caught up in many of the scandals that characterised the history of a talented crop of players who promised so much and delivered so little, a generation whose wages and lavish lifestyles began to alienate them from the fans who once worshipped them. The brash young man is gone now, and in his place is the quiet, caring, wise man who was such a favourite on I'm a Celebrity, Get me Out of Here! in 2015. Dyer narrates, in uncompromising detail, how a generation of talented English footballers, taken out of working class childhoods and presented with a world of glitz, glamour, wealth and temptation, failed to cope with the riches that were presented to them and often fell apart. Old Too Soon, Smart Too Late is about a moment in time, a social and historical record of English football at the start of its gold rush. For Dyer, the end of the book brings a measure of personal redemption and peace but for the English game, there is only a lingering sense of waste and regret for an opportunity lost.
Offering an assessment of the theory and practice of conflict resolution in post-Cold War conflicts, this book addresses a number of questions. It explores the nature of contemporary conflict and the development of conflict resolution.
In our complex, fast changing society, health is strongly influenced by the continuously changing interactions between organisations and their employees. Three major fields contribute to health-oriented improvements of these interactions: occupational health, organizational health and public health. As currently only partial links exist amongst these fields, the book aims to explore potential synergies more systematically. Considering the high mental and social demands in a service and knowledge sector economy, the first part of the book focuses on work-related psychosocial factors. As a large proportion of inequalities in health in developed countries can be explained by inequalities in working conditions, those psychosocial factors with a particularly high public health impact are highlighted. As addressing these psychosocial factors requires to involve the organization as the key change agent, the second part covers approaches to improve public health through organizational level health interventions. The last section takes a look into the future of occupational, organizational and public health: what are the future challenges regarding occupational health and how can they be tackled within and beyond the organizational level. Overall, this integrating book will help to broaden the evidence-base, legitimacy and efficacy of occupational- and organizational-level health interventions and thus increase their public health impact.
Stereotypes are dangerous, especially when they are used by demagogues. Slogans, which remind the historian of darker times in human history, however, reappear again in a growing number. As companions of the rise of right wing forces in Europe they make up ground in more and more regions and gain momentum in the political debate. It consequently seems to be more than important to focus on and closer analyze the interrelationship between stereo types and violence in modern societies. The fourth volume of Global Humanities tries to achieve such a broader analysis and provides reading in the fields of history, political science, gender and media studies. The authors show and emphasize in which ways the two above named factors are interacting with each other and influencing the popular opinion in modern nation states. Topics that are covered include Anti-Italian riots in Zurich at the end of the 19th century, a discussion of the interrelationship of racism and violence in Germany since the 1980s, and an analysis of gender based violence in Serbia. In addition, the persistence of stereo types in entertainment is closely studied by taking a look on Sinti and Roma depictions in current European films.
This is the first detailed view of the managerial accountant’s role and responsibilities in organization setting. Its aim is to foster role development: the opportunity to work at an advanced level of practice. Accounting studies develop technical skills associated with topics, and, responding to defined scenarios but provide very little guidance on what to recognizing and approaching the broad problems or challenges under conditions of uncertainty. It is a double first because it provides the managerial accountant’s compass as a general purpose analytical framework for managerial accounting independent of any selected theory and method. The metaphor of a compass creates a mental schema for its four points named (1) goals and principles, (2) boundaries and constraints, (3) methods and models, and, (4) collegial relationships. Dynastic Chinese and some other Central Asian cultures, view the center as a fifth principal direction, giving a total of five points. The center represents a high standard ethical conduct and self-care, or moral compass. Managerial Accountant’s Compass offers an integrated and systematic guide to approaching situations that are constantly changing. It gives a protective starting pattern which produces new meanings and awareness of the ambiguity and uncertainty for each situation. Ultimately the managerial accountant’s compass can help you make more effective sense of yourself, your expertise and your practice in the organization where you work, which should open career opportunities.
Mick Quinn, the boy from a Liverpool council estate dubbed 'Little Beirut', always loved his birds, booze and betting. They said Mick had a sixth sense for great accuracy in his playing days - he could find a party from any range. Quinn says he only put £50 on each horse race - but liked to stay in the bookies for twenty races a day! Sentenced in 1987 to three weeks in prison for twice driving whilst banned, Mick's been accused of punching Peter Schmeichel on the football pitch and John Fashanu off it. On retirement, though, Quinn switched to horse racing, the Sport of Kings, but controversy led the blue bloods of racing to hang the scouse oik out to dry and he was suspended from training for two and a half years. Who Ate All The Pies? is the funniest and most honest football book you'll read for a long, long time.
A close-up look at one of the world's most gifted strikers, with a global reputation for incisive running, neat play, and deadly finishing In this revealing biography, Oliver Derbyshire speaks to Owen's family, friends, and teammates and reveals the full story of an athlete destined to be ranked alongside the World's greatest. Signing for Liverpool at 17, Michael Owen soon made his mark at the highest level: in the 1997-1998 season he was voted PFA Young Player of the Year. The first British player in 20 years to be crowned European Footballer of the Year, Michael then helped Liverpool to League Cup, FA Cup, and UEFA Cup victories. He sought a fresh challenge with a move to join the galacticos at Real Madrid in 2004, but he couldn't resist a return to the Premiership. Newcastle United stepped in and in 2005, Owen became a Magpie. After a career-threatening injury at the 2006 World Cup and management uncertainty at St. James's Park, Michael endured a turbulent time. But then came Manchester United, with Sir Alex Ferguson taking a chance on Owen in 2009. He has blossomed in his new role at Old Trafford, taking on the coveted number 7 shirt and scoring vital goals--ironically, for Liverpool's most bitter rivals.
Based on empirical research of over 240 interviews the authors present new concepts and trends in global R&D management. Case studies from 18 best-practice companies give detailed answers to the most pressing challenges for mastering international innovation. "...a real tour de force, probably destined to become a standard in this field for some time to come." Professor Jeff Huang, Harvard University "A feast of delights... deserves a very wide readership." Phil Gamlen, ICI Technology - Science and Technology Policy Strategy
Postoperative Pain: Science and Clinical Practice compiles the proceedings of the November, 2013 IASP Research Symposium on Operative Pain into one convenient volume, giving you clinically relevant and research-driven information on the state of the art in postoperative pain. Global experts from the IASP provide practical knowledge on everything from basic research in animals to human research on clinical questions of diagnosis and treatment – information that’s ideal for pain researchers and clinicians who deal with perioperative pain.
A CONVERGENCE tie-in graphic novel, starring heroes from CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! Once, there were infinite Earths. Then there came a Crisis...a Zero Hour...a Flashpoint. Worlds lived. Worlds died. But some worlds must now fight for their future-in the Convergence! The evil alien intelligence known as Brainiac has stolen 50 domed cities from throughout time and space and sealed them behind impenetrable domes. Now, after a year, the domes will come down-and the heroes and villains of 50 dead worlds must battle to be the last one standing! In this volume: SHAZAM: It's Shazam vs. steampunk as the Captain Marvel family faces an invasion by the world of Gotham by Gaslight! BOOSTER GOLD: When time-displaced heroes collide! Booster, Rip Hunter and the Time Masters face off against Superboy & the Legion of Super-Heroes with the entire Convergence hanging in the balance! BLUE BEETLE: The heroes of Hub City-Blue Beetle, Captain Atom and the Question-stand watch against an entire army of Legionnaires! CRIME SYNDICATE: The evil equivalents of the world's most powerful heroes rule their city with an iron fist-until the mind-blowing super-beings of DC One Million arrive to topple their tyranny! PLASTIC MAN AND THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS: In a world where World War II ended in America's defeat, the few heroes left standing are about to fall before the Nazi regime-until the killer cyborg superheroes of Futures End attack! Superheroes from the Multiverse's most unique worlds and far-flung eras battle some of its most ruthless villains in CONVERGENCE: INFINITE EARTHS BOOK 2!
This 1948 book provides a detailed study of the contribution of ancient societies to the development of geography, both in terms of theory and practical discovery. The text concentrates mainly on the perspectives of Greece and Rome, but other historical periods and regions are given attention, including ancient Egypt and China.
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