A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks

A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks â€Å"A Walk to Remember â€Å" Nicholas Sparks, one of the New York Time Best Selling Author wrote his third novel entitled A Walk to Remember. It had been published in the year 1999 of October under Warner Books. The book is about the story of a 57 year old guy, and how he found his greatest love back when his seventeen. He tells how this love changes him in a way he didnt think he should be. The novel is written dedicated to his family, especially to his sister Danielle Sparks Lewis who become his inspiration in writing the novel. The story is fictional but some scenes are based on real life situation. He applied the experience of its own sister. Synopsis: The story is about a guy named Landon Carter, who is at the age of 57. It’s about how his life changes back when he was seventeen. He was Landon a reclusive guy, but everything changes when he asked Jamie Sullivan to be his date on their school party. Jamie is a good girl. She always carries a bible and always wore her ugly sweater. They are totally different but love is really great. The day he came to ask Jamie, he didnt know that it will be the start of something new. Something he didnt look forward to happen. On how he fall in love with someone named Jamie Sullivan. Reaction: The first time Ive got interested about A Walk to Remember is when Im in my third year of high school. I always read stories in wattpad and the author always mention it. They said that it was a great movie which inspired them to write their own stories. That time I didnt know it was a novel because they always mentioned it as a movie. I got a chance to watch it during my senior high, indeed it was great. Now, I needed to critic its book. At first, I didnt want to read it because I already know the flow of the story. Whats the use right? But as Ive read the book, I realized that I was so wrong. The movie is truly different from the book. Yes, it has the same concept but the flows of the scenes are entirely different. There are also some scenes that are informational which wasnt shown in the movie. Reading the novel is better than watching its film. You only need to imagine that youre on the story, and imagine everything that is happening. I was astounded on how this novel makes me feel the same emotion when I watch its movie. I even think Ive shown more emotion now that I read it. It feels like it was all brand new. I can still remember this quotation from the book, â€Å"Love is always patient and kind. It is never jealous. Love is never rude or selfish. It does not take offense and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other peoples sins, but delights in the truth. It is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and endure whatever comes. This has been my favorite line from the novel. That wasnt a simple quotation, it has a deeper meaning. It gives as an idea on what we need to do with our life. We must know the real purpose why we are living here, in this place. We are not here to focus on ourselves but for us to be part of the others life. To give them happiness, hope, and wisdom is our role in this world. A Walk to Remember wants us to remind that everything has its own purposes. Our life is always on God’s hand. You just need to have faith in him and surrender everything to him. For sure, everything will takes place. This story show how great can love is. Nothing is impossible that even miracle do come true. Conclusion: A remarkable book had been written again by Nicholas Sparks. He really knows how to touch our hearts. He has showed us the essence of life. On how powerful what we call love, that it can even do some miracle. This novel is a must read one. It has a theme that everyone can relate with. Film Review â€Å"Dead Poet Society† Dead Poets Society is a film directed by Peter Weir. This drama film was shown during 1989 starring Robin Williams. The story shows on how a teacher can live a great impact to his students. And how can he change the perception of his students. He also tells his student on why they need to seize the day. Characters: Protagonist Robin Williams as Mr. John Keating Ethan Hawke as Todd Anderson Robert Sean Leonard as Neil Perry Josh Charles as Knox Overstreet Dylan Kussman as Richard Cameron Allelon Ruggiero as Steven Meeks James Waterston as Gerard Pitts Gale Hansen as Charlie Dalton Antagonist Norman Lloyd as Gale Nolan Kurtwood Smith as Mr. Perry Synopsis: The story started during the time 1959. There is this guy named Todd Anderson who will take his senior high at Walton Academy. Walton Academy is a school for elite which offer prep boarding. Fortunately, his roommate is one of the most promising students at their school. Neil Perry became his roommate and the friend of Neil accepted him in their group. They are Calm Knox, Richard Cameron, Steven Meeks, Gerard Pitts, and Charlie Dalton. At the first day of their class, they were surprised by Mr. John Keating. He is their new teacher in English which is an alumnus of Walton. This educator has a different way of teaching his student. While having their lesson, he asked his students to stand on the desk, he even let them walk in a courtyard with their own way. Keating also instruct them to reap out the pages of their book in poetry. He was the one who motivated the boys to see the world in a different perspective and seize every day of their life. Reaction: Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. The Latin term for this is carpe diem means seize the day. An extraordinary life to be with, an abundant life. A movie that turns some of my perceptions upside down. Not a simply film but a wake-up call for everyone. A call for makeover. I adore Dead Poets Society for the reason that beyond the appearance is the thought of passion and a purpose driven life. It thought me that achieving all of my goals in life is not just the center of everything because if there is a great things surely there will also be greater and greatest things in life. Invisible by naked eyes but clearly seen by the heart. Just what Mr. Keating said, Yes indeed it is a battle of war and the casualties could be our hearts and souls. I was amazed at every scene because it was my first experience watching a film wherein my focus is not on the characters but what they want to import. I was also caught by this question, What will your verse be? Really, I meditate these words and asked myself if what verse I can contribute to this play. To learn from the experience of the past, to forget what is behind and to savor every moment. Poetry is more than poetry, beyond them is the life. One of the lessons I learn is that we do have different voices and I must strive to find my own voice. Maybe some people find the Dead Poets Society film a weird one but for me as I focus my attention on it, thousands of my emotions is on slide and I cant explain it through words but all I can express is that it is splendid. We must seize every step we take. In our final moments we all realize what life is all about. Dont wait until youre on your deathbed to figure out what matters most. To look things in different way, it’s not really a risk but an adventure and maybe by trying the things we thought is silly can be the better one. Stop acting and show who we really are and what the desires of our hearts are. We can go anywhere and can do anything and were not trapped in this life. Conclusion: I have watched many films but this one is something different. Tough I may say that the quality of the movie is not that good, maybe because it has been shown long time ago, but the message they want to convey is clear. It is something we need to remember and apply in our daily life. It was so interesting, touching, and knowledgeable. As a future mentor, we must really watch this kind of movie. This movie will help educator to understand his/her students. It will give us idea on how to handle and how to have a good relationship with your students. Someday, when I become a teacher, I will try my best to be Mr. John Keating to my class.

Christ’s Resurrection Foretold and Witnessed Essays -- Religion, Bible

I suppose, since I became a Christian (born again July 31, 1975), I have heard a lot of different opinions concerning different areas and events of the Bible. Of all the topics and points of interest, none has intrigued me as much as the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As you read this study there is one main point that all Christians will agree on. It may not be the day of the week or the hour of the day Jesus died, but we will all agree to the fact that Jesus did arise from the dead and is currently at the right hand of God the Father. You might be a religious person, yet not believe Jesus arose from the dead. That belief would not negate you from being religious, but it would negate a profession of one being a Christian. If a person believes in his heart and confesses with his mouth that God raised Jesus from the dead, he shall be saved. (Romans 10:9) With this in mind, I want to guide you into some of the scriptures concerning the cruc ifixion, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Chapter 1 One of the most difficult things for me to understand (being raised in our western culture, and religious background) are the Jewish Holy Days, Feast, and Laws. Therefore it took the Holy Spirit to show me how the puzzle pieces fit together. One of the pieces of the puzzle was how Jesus could have been crucified on Friday and resurrected on Sunday and still been in the grave for three days and three nights. All of my Sunday School literature since I was a child has always eluded to these days. I’ve looked into literature in several Protestant Denominations and they all teach the same days of Crucifixion and Resurrection. As I prayed and studied, I wondered why no one ever e... ...e the body of Christ gone. It was there the angel from Heaven told of his resurrection and said to go and tell the others who were in mourning and waiting. It was when Peter and John got to the tomb, and seeing the grave clothes and the head wrap, lying there where Jesus had lain, that in a brief span of time the Holy Ghost revealed to John the things concerning the current events, that Jesus was alive and risen forevermore and he believed. John 20:8(KJV) I truly believe that if you study the scriptures referenced here you will concur that Jesus was crucified on Wednesday afternoon, and arose on Saturday afternoon. The witness of the resurrection and the visual body of Jesus was seen and recorded in each of the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. I trust that you may truly believe the word of God is the infallible, inerrent, inspired, word of God..

Computers and Their Impact :: Technology Papers

Computers and Their Impact The extreme increase in the use of computers has drastically changed the lives of many people. Computers, as Sherry Turkle in "Who Am We" discussed, initially were used as simple calculators, but through the years they have come to be valued as more than simple machines (442). "The computer has gained new qualities, it is not only used as a calculator, but now it entails simulation, navigation, and interaction" (443). With the increase in computer usage, comes new software that attracts people's attention even more. Adults, adolescents and even children find themselves "losing track of time" when they sit down and play on the computer for half an hour and suddenly realize that thirty minutes has turned into a couple of hours. As changes occur in technology, we must also contemplate the effect these changes will have on individuals. We must realize that individuals are vulnerable to the virtual world and that they can get lost. "Our need for a practical philosophy of self-knowledge ha s never been greater as we struggle to make meaning from our lives on the screen" (456). The computer can serve many purposes, such as an aid for research, finishing homework and even as a means for keeping in touch with loved ones, but it can also cause an individual to get lost in the "virtual world." This topic sparked my interest when aclose friend of mine began to notice changes in her boyfriend's attitude. Her problems began when her boyfriend bought a laptop computer. He had never had a computer before, so this was something new and exciting for him. Within a couple of weeks my friend began to notice changes in his attitude. Suddenly, she noticed he spent hours a day in front of a computer screen. He was fascinated by the internet and the immense amount of resources it had to offer. His free time no longer consisted of spending quality time with his friends and significant other, rather he found browsing the web more fascinating and worthwhile. My friend suddenly found herself competing against a machine for her boyfriend's attention. My friend is not the only one who has experienced problems due to the amount of time her boyfriend spends on the computer. My cousin for example, can spend hours a day playing computer games and surfing the net. Interestingly enough, he denies spending so much time on the computer.

Ongoing Injustice: The American Indians Essay examples -- essays resea

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the modern world we are bombarded by others’ teachings. Being constantly surrounded by the ideas of computers, televisions and books we are influenced, we are shaped. We accept what we’ve been told and avoid discovering the truth because we know no better, and it’s safer. Too often â€Å"We fail to step outside of that safe sanctuary defined by what other’s wish us to know.†1 If the general population of the United States of America were asked what they knew of the Indians, common replies would be of romantic visions of the once free roaming, free spirited peoples of the nine-teenth century, the melodrama of the conflicts between the pioneers and the Indians, the scalpings, painted bodies decorated with feathers, reservations, and other familiarities of their past. Many would speak of the Indians as if their legacy was simply a chapter in the history books. Therefore when â€Å"...they occasionally hear a word or two about the descendants of Sitting Bull and Pocahontas protesting for casino or against Chief Wahoo, in the name of those same arcane treaties, then it is a little saddening to them to see the final deterioration of the memory of the once glorious and romantic and tragic old Chiefs, who were the last real Indians.†2 Many think along the lines of their past being simply an old and unpleasant chapter in the history book that is over and done. They feel it is time to move on. The problem is that they cannot, for the very simple reason being that what is considered to be the past and history, is not really over--it continues. Like salt on an open wound, the revealed horrors replace the horror stories of the past. The injustices that continue throughout this hemisphere, and in the remaining places in the world where indigenous peoples survive are for the most part, unknown. Over and over again the Indians have been forced to struggle with the evil to preserve their rights, culture, environment and people. One question arises-why are there still conflicts concerning the indigenous people still a threat in today’s’ highly â€Å"advanced† society? Unfortunately, the scars of these injustices are ever present and are reopened again and again through more betrayal by the government(s). The memories of the wrong done builds onto one another, and every new injustice creates more distrust and aversion. It’s an ongoing picture of cause and e... ...the immense problems aboriginals confront in trying to assert their rights, particularly when those rights clash with the development objectives of industry.†29   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, the governments’ hand in the massacres of the Indians, the many broken treaties, a disregard for the land and people, the effects of wage labor, education, the effects of Christianity, and the crooked politics that took place are all injustices done to the Indigenous Peoples. Their effects are everlasting and the continuation of injustices builds more and more distrust and aversion. The Indians are simply trying to survive but are overshadowed with the remembrance of their heritage, the atrocities of long past, recently past and today. Chief Abel Bosum of the Ouje-Bougoumou Cree Nation states:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"...Today many indigenous peoples are endangered...Respect for   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  our rights does not threaten existing states, but failure to protect   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  our rights will have disastrous consequences for many indigenous   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  people.†30   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Grief and Bereavement Essay -- essays research papers fc

Grief and Bereavement CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION â€Å"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.† Matthew 5:4 Crisis involved with loss of other human being is the intensive of all types of crises. This paper I will be talking mainly about grief through people loss, as it is something, which happens suddenly, and which can also lead into intense grief. In this paper I want to also talk about how we as a Christian and especially as a pastor will be able to cope with or help a person that is undergoing this grief situation. This is because many of the times when we see someone undergoing this kind of crisis of grief, we tend to ignore it or we try to take over the grief to ourselves. Worst of all this when we try to convince the person that is in this crisis that it is not there at all. Grieving is an overall response to a number of different kinds of problems. Grief is not something that people is bound to experience but something that has consistently occurred in the lives of many. A loss may not necessarily initiate an experience of grief. But if there is an attachment emotionally to that loss then there might be grief. Grief is a part of human life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   CHAPTER II TERMINOLOGY What is Grief? According to Webster’s Dictionary Grief is mentioned as intense emotional suffering caused by loss, misfortune, injury or evils of any kind, sorrow, and regret. Grief is considered to be a normal response to loss of any significant thing or person. Grief brings about a lack of meaning in the life of the person he, or she feels empty and sadness fills in. There are two kinds of grief and these are Normal grief and Morbid grief. Normal Grief It is seen as when individuals or family members who have been deeply affected by a death or anticipated death, who are able to openly grieve with each other and accept help from others as they experience the various stages of the grief process. Some of the symptoms seen in this kind of grief, empty feelings, sighing deeply, lack of appetite, overeating out of tension, unable to sleep. Sometimes there is a struggle with the way one feels about his or her relationship with the Lord. Some of them feel like God is has gone away from them. Most of them have trouble rejoicing in the Lord. Sometimes they over spiritualise the loss and hold back the question of God’s involvement in the loss. Morbid Gr... ... his way of normal living. Pastors needs to understand these three stages or phases of grief and should be able to help the griever with the knowledge of these. And along side all this we should be able to pray for the griever at all time, asking God to give him comfort. Most of all I would suggest that we should be able to Love and Care for the grieving person and help him to cope to a new way of life. BIBLIOGRAPHY Crick, Robert, D. Min., Grief, death, dying, and Bereavement: A general overview of the Dynamics of Grief: Helping People in Crisis, ed. Donald S. Aultman. Cleveland: Church of God School of Ministry, 2003. McMahan, Oliver, Scriptural Counselling, A God-centered Method. Cleveland: Pathway Press, 1995. Simpson, Carl Dr., Professor for European Theological Seminary, Lecture from Pastoral Counselling, 07. April 2005, Freundenstadt-Kniebis, Germany. Switzer, David K., The Minister as Crisis Counsellor, Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1974. The New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984 Webster, Noah L.L.D, Webster’s New Twentieth Century Dictionary of the English Language. Cleveland: The World Publishing Company, 1966.

Cricket: My hobby Essay

I love cricket! Absolutely adore it! Why ? Because it is one of the biggest pleasures in life with your trousers on. It is a different game – much more relaxed as the players have time for tea and lunch but also a very intelligent and interesting one which is why it is often criticised for being a sport for lazy people and hypocrites. Absolute rubbish, isn’t it? Anyway, although I wouldn’t like to bore you with the weird rules of this magnificent game (if you already know it). However, just in case you haven’t a clue about the game: there are eleven players on each team and three main aspects of the game are dominating batting, busy bowling and laborious fielding – it is a big ask I tell you. Both sides have to bat and the team which gets the most runs wins the game. I know the sentence probably doesn’t make sense to you so I would explain in a bit more detail but not in my words but in the words of my cricket coach. â€Å"Cricket is a game in which you have two sides, one out on the field, and the other in. Each man in the side that’s in goes out and when he is out, he comes in, and the next man goes out until he is out and then he comes in. When the side that’s in is all out, the side that has been out goes in, and the side that was in goes out and tries to get out the side that goes in. Sometimes you get men still in and not out when thw side that is in is finally out. When both sides have been in and out, including those not out yet no longer in, that is the end of the game.† Bravo! Doesn’t that help in the understanding of the game ? Of course it doesn’t. You readers probably think I am some sort of a fool. I’ll make it a lot simpler this time, I promise. A cricket team consists of eleven players, or cricketers or simply lazy men as the game’s critics call them. At the start of a game, the decision over which of the two teams will get the right to choose to bat or to bowl and field is made at the flick of a coin. Whichever team bats is said to be â€Å"in† and the whole idea is to score runs in the process of defending the wicket while the other team attempts to get each of the team members â€Å"out† to get their turn to bat and go â€Å"in†. There are many ways bowlers of the bowling team can get the batters of the opposition team out. The batsman guards his wickets as the bowler attempts to hit them to get him out. When the batsman fails to guard his wicket and the ball knocks off the bail and if possible the set of stumps, the Batsman is rendered â€Å"bowled out† and obviously he is a dead duck. For a fast bowler, there can’t be a better site than that – the three pale willow sticks or stumps cadaverously shattered on the cinnamon brown cricket strip or pitch. Nevertheless, there are several other ways that a batsman can be dismissed from the game. The most common way batsmen get out is by getting caught by the fielders of the opposition as he is in the process of hitting the ball in the gaps between them so he can run while they chase the ball like pet dogs. Many batsmen who are chubby and have problems in running often find themselves in a situation when they get run out. This method of dismissal is when the batsman fails to reach the other end of the pitch while running to score runs and the bails are knocked off by a member of the opposing team before he reaches. If a batsman tries to use his pads to deflect a bowl aimed to crash on to his waiting stumps, he can be given out LBW – leg before wicket. The decision to declare him out or not out can only be made by the Umpire who stands directly in front of the batsman and judges whether the bowl was going to hit the stumps when it made contact with the batman’s leg, sorry, not the leg, his pads. A hit on the leg or thereabout would probably break the poor batman’s let as cricket ball is a very hard object. Unsurprisingly, a cricket umpire has to be as sober as a judge as there are many times when the bowler invariably appeals to him for a LBW decision or a â€Å"caught behind† by shouting at his face â€Å"HOWWSSSSSAATT† which means something like â€Å"How does that look to you Umpire – is he out†. These appeals are normally ignored by the umpires as they more often than not false and fake but are elements which make the game of cricket exciting to watch causing tension in the dressing room of the batting side, generating thrill and hope amongst the bowing side as well as providing sheer entertainment for the crowd and in international matches – for the millions glued to their television screens. Nonetheless, if the umpire does think that the appeal is genuine and that the bowl would surely have bombarded the stumps had the batsman’s leg not been in the way, he would stick his finger up at the batsman to indicate, â€Å"sorry mate, that was going to hit your wickets†. In other words, he was out. Obviously, he wouldn’t stick up his middle finger up at the batsman to count as an offence and having his umpiring fee cancelled but his index finger which is how it has always been through the cricket tradition. Finally, a very loser like way to get out is â€Å"hit wicket† when the batsman accidentally hits his own wickets while playing a shot and I can tell you having done it once myself, it is a horrible feeling. Yet, nothing can be more embarrassing as getting out without scoring any runs for your team – a duck or worse a golden duck when you miserably get out the first ball you face. The 50 yard shameful back to the pavilion feels like a 50 mile marathon being the worst site for a batsman. Just like there are several ways by which you can be given out, you can score runs as well and lots of them if you are good enough. The cricket field is shape of the oval and the fielders of the bowling team are spread throughout the field where the bowler bowling wants them to. Conversely, a significant factor which has to be taken into account is that there are only nine fielders as there has to be bowler to bowl at the batsmen and a wicket keeper which works a bit like a backstop in rounders. Because there are only nine fielders and not nine million on a cricket field, there are lots of gaps in the field. Intelligent batsmen unlike myself place the bowl in these gaps, let the fielders chase for the bowl to return to the bowler while they gingerly run up and down the pitch to score runs. However, an easier and more beneficial way to score runs is by hitting the bowl past the boundary line. If a batsmen hits the bowl past the boundary line on the bounce, he scores four runs for his team whereas hitting the bowl over the boundary in flight is signalled by the umpire as the optimum – six runs. However, hitting aerial shots are always risky as there is always a chance of being caught by a fielder if the shot is mistimed. This is what makes six hitting so hard for number 11s like me (the worst and hence the last batsmen to bat for the team). On the other hand, an opening batsmen who start off the batting for the team would probably be gifted with amazing reflexes and great hand-eye coordination which allows them to do considerable damage to the opposition’s bowling figure. Accomplished batsmen who score hundred runs or over in a match are said to have scored a â€Å"century† and I believe that one day I will make one as well which my coach thinks is far too ambitious for me. The reason is that I simply can’t bat. Fielders are placed at strategic positions (in order to both stop runs and to catch a batsman out if possible) and these positions have distinct names. For example, the long off position is near the boundary, far away from the batsman to his front and right, while silly mid-on represents a position of extreme danger, as the name might suggest, being as it is immediately to a batsman’s left. A square leg says more about where one umpire stands rather than how he is standing, while backward point or deep fine leg says nothing about any mental or physical ability at all. This was just a bad joke so if you didn’t get it then just ignore me. I had said earlier on if you can probably remember that the team which scores the most runs wins the match. However, there are two distinct ways to say how exactly a team won a game of cricket. A team can either win by x wickets or lose by y number of runs. For instance, if there was a match going on between the flamboyant and the invincible Aussies who surprisingly had lost six of their world class batsmen but still exceeded the score the Indians made by two runs which they usually do, they would be declared winners by two runs and four wickets as they still had four of their batsmen who hadn’t got their turn to bat. This isn’t all that much confusing, is it? So far I have only talked about the rules of the great game but not of its structure or the duration. The duration of a game of cricket depends on the type of match which will be played. There are two distinct forms of cricket – limited overs cricket and unlimited overs cricket. In limited overs cricket, there are a set number of overs – an over a series of six bowls bowled by a bowler at a time. For example, in a typical one day game, there would be 50 overs which the bowling side would have to bowl but this varies to about 20 overs. This type of cricket is played by most amateur cricket clubs as it is neither time consuming nor too expensive. Professional playing county cricket also play this. However, unlimited overs cricket requires cricketers of higher ability and technique – tough guys who can concentrate on a cricket field for up to five days without being distracted by the wandering birds, the critical spectators or the voluptuous ladies in the crowd if they are lucky. Contrastingly, I would like to inform you of my own cricket – my own game. I play cricket every lunch time in school and at weekends for Stourbridge Cricket Club in the summer. Being a spin bowler I can get frustrated quite easily as it easier for a batsman to drive, pull or loft me because I bowl at a much slower pace – actually two times slower than a fast bustling fast bowler, giving the batsman ample time to make decisions and encounter the ball. Their weapons are fingers, flight and deception when imparting spin on the ball instead of sheer pace, bounce and swing which the faster bowlers use being the tall giants of cricket and sometimes bullies too – look at the Aussie Glenn McGrath’s intimidating attitude for example – no offence to any proud Australian reading this. Like most world famous sports, cricket has never been short of legendary characters – not just players, but also their mentors umpires. In my opinion, the wizard of cricket was undoubtedly Sir Garfield Sobers of the West Indies. What a player he was. An opening bowler who swung the bowl both ways making it almost impossible for even the best batsmen to guess which way the bowl would shoot off after pitching. Besides, being one of the most elegant and explosive batsmen the game has ever seen who could also be a useful wicket keeper and spin bowler – like myself but a million times better. Cricket has seen many other great players who have contributed to the game to a very large extent. Unfortunately, the list is enormous. Personally, I believe the best batsman ever was the late Sir Don Bradman who scored at an average of 99.96 runs every match he played. It was a shame that he got out on a golden duck in the last ever match he played which restricted his average to not be 100. People say â€Å"Cricket is a Batsman’s game† meaning it is a batsman dominated game but I disagree. It is true that in the modern era, world class players like Gilchrist, Jayasurya and Tendulkar have caused terror around bowlers worldwide. Still, guys or deceivers shall I say, like Shane Warne of Australia and Courtney Walsch of the West Indies have also puzzled and bamboozled hundreds of batsmen and earned popularity amongst millions of viewers across the globe. Courtney Walsch is famously known as the â€Å"man with the most ducks† as he has taken the most number of Test wickets and, unfortunately for him, he is also the only person to score 43 ducks as well. By the way, as you know by now that duck is a shameful score of 0 but don’t think many number 11s like me care these days. We are not meant to score the runs. The team has got people called â€Å"batsmen† to do the job. Don’t you agree? Yes? No? Similarly, Shane Warne is regarded by most as the best leg spinner the world has ever seen and how can I disagree. By the way, a leg spinner is a spin bowler who spins the bowl away from the batsman and not someone who spins on one leg to entertain the crowd as some people may guess literally. Cricket has had many lovely and fair umpires but none have been more popular than the English Dickie Bird. As well as being a terrific umpire, he was a lovely human being who would win the crowd wherever he went to do his duty. Even he agrees with me as he has mentioned in his autobiography when he talks about the famous phenomenon of 1994 when the then latest sensation Warne bowled the England Batsman Mike Gatting by the bowl of the century. â€Å"and it was there in Old Trafford that Shane Warne bowled that magic bowl that pitched 15 inches outside his leg stump and went on to hit the top of the off stump. It was a magnificent delivery – a never before seen marvel†. Although I am really inspired by Shane Warne especially after reading his autobiography, my favourite cricketer of all times will still be the current best batsman in the world – master blaster Sachin Tendulkar of India. He has been described by the greatest batsman of all times Sir Don himself as his modern clone. In an interview in 1996 Sir Don admitted that whenever he watches Tendulkar play, he reminds him of the way he, himself, used to play in his playing days which I believe to be an invaluable praise for any batsman. He is a scintillating batsman of sheer technique as well as sheer performance as he has scored the most runs in International Cricket as well as creating a record for the biggest number of centuries. Even Warne who is measured by many as the craftiest bowler in the game once admitted in his autobiography about the master blaster, â€Å"I don’t think I have seen a better player than Sachin Tendulkar†. This is what makes me wonder that even though the all time greats such as Lara, the Waugh brothers and the Viv Richards may return but you would never see a better player than Sachin Tendulkar. I have been to see my life time hero Sachin bat live enough times at various grounds. However, there was one match which I will never forget. That match was at Edgbaston when India were playing Australia in the Natwest final. The pitch was velvet smooth and it wasn’t long before the windows of the pavilion were frosty spider webs as the English batsmen demolished the Indian bowlers. They had given us an almost impossible target to chase – 325. Millions across the globe had turned off their television even before the Indian batsmen came out to bat. I obviously didn’t as I believed as long as there is Sachin, there is hope and how correct was I. He was determined to play a gem of an innings to see India home for a glorious win and which he did. Right from the first bowl he was ready to attack the English bowlers and smashed them to all parts of the ground. There was a shower of sixes and a stream of fours and anyone who was there that day would not forget the majestic pocket Hercules glowing in Tendulkar. I can never forget his grandiose stance when he prepared to pay England in her own coins by ripping apart their bowling. The enormous international recognition that this strange game has achieved throughout its history wouldn’t have been possible, had the crowds and venues of cricket matches not been magical. Besides, just like there are rivals teams like Rangers and Celtic or Villa and West Brom in football, the cricket rivalry of India and Pakistan is said to be the fiercest of the fierce. Where Lords’ in England is the Mecca of cricket – the finest ground in the world, Eden Gardens of Calcutta is said to be the biggest and the most lively cricket stadium in the world. Its exhilarating atmosphere magnifies when old enemies India and Pakistan play. The political conflict between the two countries rubs on their cricket as well and the stadium roars through out the match or matches. A few years ago, I had a chat with the former Pakistan Captain Wasim Akram about the tense feeling you get as a player when you set foot at the lush and leaf green ground of the Eden Gardens. He smiled and said, â€Å"the pressure to perform is so high and the crowd are so lively that you don’t hear anything. You just try to do what you really want to do which is to tear the opposition apart†. If you look up the definition of cricket in a decent encyclopaedia, it would come up with two main definitions. Either something like chirping insect like a grass hopper or the cricket game definition as to be something like the following: – â€Å"A bat and ball, team game played during the summer in the British Isles and in several other countries influenced by the British all over the world such as Australia and New Zealand, the whole of the Indian continent, African countries of South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya as well as the Windies in the Caribbean. You probably would have guessed that the glamorous British had invented the game but the fact that really magnifies the popularity of the sport is that even though being the first group of people to play the game, England frequently get slaughtered by most of the other countries outside the British isles which I am sure must lend them some satisfaction. Apparently, this is the reason why this slow game has gained so much popularity in the world why it was estimated that over a billion people were watching the Cricket World Cup between India and Australia in the March month of 2003. Being a true Indian supporter, this was the worst game of cricket I have ever watched and probably the best one for a die hard Aussie fan as the glorious Australians took the game away from us right from the first go when our captain Sourav Ganguly decided to bowl first despite our batsmen regarded as the best in the world. In a long and short tale, we got whopped – our bowlers got thumped and walloped so much that the Aussies had scored a mammoth 359 in their allotted 50 overs – an almost impossible task which it did prove when our batsmen came out to bat. Richie Benaud of Australia and Tony Greig of England are two very different commentators but are thought of as the best ever in the business as they have made the slow game of cricket seem very interesting to millions across the world still keeping their interest in this game. Benaud’s famous phrase â€Å"Thanks the name of the co-commentator. Good Morning Everyone.† with his laid back manner of commentary and high praise for deserving players is imitated by many other commentators. Whereas, Greig’s animated tone in his comments on the television have contributed over the years in attracting the younger generation to the game as they are used to the â€Å"cat and mouse† commentaries of football, basketball and rugby. Indeed. It has been said that the amount you know about cricket is inversely proportional to a greater understanding of how to play. The popular American entertainer Andy Williams, on seeing his first cricket match, was completely intrigued by the bowlers, who spend a great deal of time rubbing the ball up and down on their groin! I know this doesn’t sound very straight but you would be surprised to know that other neutral observers would be advised to follow his example and worry not about the rules, teams or results but instead treat the whole experience as a strange and fascinating ceremonial ritual. I am talking cricket – my biggest passion in my life. Therefore I can instinctively go on forever but would finally like to conclude that it is the commitment of the devoted and jubilant players and the jovial crowds along with the commentaries of golden voiced and silver tongued people like Tony Greig as well as the rivalries of old friends and enemies accompanied by the just demeanour of the umpires which makes the prodigious game of Cricket a pleasure to watch or play if you are lucky enough . . .

Advancement in computer graphics

Since the dawn period of video graphics, graphics developers had to depend on complete knowledge of the hardware they were working with. This knowledge came from lots of experimentation and electronics know-how. (Rickitt, Richard. 2000.)Games, such as Pong or Asteroids, graphic designers had to have a good knowledge of what every chip on the game motherboard could provide them.They were required to be fully aware of the amount of memory they might require like colors and sounds etc. some times they had to get through with the manufacturers to get assistance in designing chips that cater to their requirement.Sound and graphics were primitive at best, but they worked. Since these early games were in fact a pioneering attempt, they also had to generate new user controls to work with. (Ritter, R. (2002)Early DOS games were dependent on knowledge of machine and assembly languages to enter the OS’s lower levels. With the passage of time, more intelligible languages were introduces, such as BASIC and LOGO; though, they didn't have the potential of assembly language.Next innovation in language world was Pascal and C. With C, game developers could design advanced code routines devoid of having to work with tons of assembly code, therefore making graphics easier. Very soon C language became the preferred language of graphic designers. (Timo Aila, 2003)With these language changes, one difficulty remained. To develop high-quality games, developers still required a thorough knowledge of the hardware they were running with. There was no need to know every chip's capabilities, however they had to know things such as video cards, sound cards, and input devices. They also had to cope with memory constraints, which were turning out to be a hindrance to graphic designs.Along Came WindowsAdvancement in computer operating system it turned out to be very easy to maintain specific standards in the computer industry. These standards consisted hardware interfaces, video memory s tandards, sound standards, and CPU memory specifications. Yet, there was still a lot of conflict within the industry, and lots of hardware turned out to be unsatisfactory. Consequently, numerous games developed in Windows faced a lot of problems.Microsoft understood this problem early on and emphasized its efforts on improving its environment and working to improve performance for the parts of the operating system that cater to game and multimedia requirements.These efforts were obvious in Windows 95, one of the first operating systems that produced reliable hardware-software interaction a reality. Since all hardware companies had to meet a comparable standard and Microsoft controlled how its operating system responded to the hardware.In the DOS days, you had to build your own drivers for every type of video card, but with Windows, you had to develop to only one standard. In spite of spending time producing and understanding numerous hardware specifications, designers relied on Micr osoft to do all that for them and wrap up it for their use in the OS.There was one flaw with all of this. Windows was initially designed for homes and offices not for professional multimedia development. It lacked little necessary items that had become trademark in the multimedia market mostly graphics speed, DOS was better then windows.It was the same hardware, but there were many more layers between the developers' code and the hardware they wanted to control. The effect was that a lot of developers deserted the idea of Windows game development and depended on the Windows capability to disburse to DOS.After Microsoft understand that game developers agreed with its idea but reluctant to give up the performance they had become used to in DOS, Microsoft started exploring ways to facilitate developers to reach that hardware layer. Some of the initial attempts involved WinG, WinToon, and OpenGL.Wings become popular at the time of Windows 3.1 and Windows for WorkGroups. WinG was the fir st try at a complete graphics API (Application Programming Interface) library to eradicate the limitations of the Windows API.WinG rendered high-performance graphics system that could be accessed through Windows game development world to that community who worked completely in DOS.WinToon worked as first API system for Windows 95 that supplied the potential of easy animation playback. API also provided better performance as compared to existing Windows 95 APIs. Thus it aided to improve the multimedia playback capabilities of animation programs for instance kids' games and educational programs.OpenGL is a powerful set of APIs that let the developers to cut through the Windows red tape to integrate some of the hardware procedures of 2D and 3D graphics. Unexpectedly, OpenGL was not the product of Microsoft; instead it was introduced by Silicon Graphics, Inc.These technological advancements were an enormous boost, but eventually turn out to be short. As the game market boosted and the r equirement for more games on the Windows 95 platform rose, Microsoft developers went back to work.What they came up with was the Windows 95 Game Software Developer's Kit (SDK), which introduced the first version of DirectX. DirectX was actually restricted for the computer game industry but has evolved to embrace other areas, for instance, improvement in the arcade business and handheld Windows CE devices.As DirectX has improved, Microsoft rendered network support, in addiction with force feedback support, and 3D graphics capabilities. When ever improvements are required, the DirectX team has gone on to improve the performance of this amazing software library. (John Owens. 1983.)Video graphics games fueling hardware growth and hardware in turn fueling games will continue on. Thus the future of video games will most likely be tied to the future of graphics hardware and tactile hardware. With the introduction of the DirectX 8.0 API and same type functionality in OpenGL, GPUs increased programmable shading to their functions.The entire pixel could now be achieved by a short program that could involve additional image textures as inputs, and every geometric vertex could similarly be processed by a short program before it was shown on the screen. nVidia introduced chip capable of programmable shading, the GeForce 3 (widely known as NV20).By October 2002, with the introduction of the ATI Radeon 9700 (also known as R300), the world's first Direct3D 9.0 accelerator, pixel and vertex shades could implement looping and lengthy floating point math, and in general were soon becoming as flexible as CPUs, and orders of magnitude faster for image-array operations. (Dan McCabe 1998)Nowadays, parallel Graphics Processing Unit have   started computable graphic inroads against the operating system, and a subfield of study, dubbed GPGPU for General Purpose Computing on GPU has paved its way into areas as diverse as oil exploration, scientific image processing, and even stock opt ions pricing determination.There is increased pressure on GPU manufacturers to update hardware design, generally emphasizing on adding more flexibility to the programming modelBibliographyBartle, Richard A, 2003,Designing Virtual Worlds , 1st Edition, New Riders Dan McCabe and John Brothers. DirectX6 Texture Map Compression. Game Developer Magazine,   August 1998John Owens. EEC 277: Graphics Architecture. Technical report, 2005 Lance Williams. Pyramidal Parametrics. In Computer Graphics (Proceedings of ACM SIGGRAPH 83), pages 1–11. ACM, July 1983.Ritter, R. (2002). The Oxford Style Manual. Oxford University Press. Rickitt, Richard. Special Effects: The History and Technique. New York: Billboard Books, 2000.Timo Aila, Ville Miettinen, and Petri Nordlund. Delay Streams for Graphics Hardware. ACM Transactions on Graphics,, 2003