Watch the video that we used to introduce the topic of Global Warming to our classmates, by the way, not just the message is important but the music is superb and the images are stunning.
To watch more films about climate change sponsored by climatechange.gov.uk, click on any of the following links:
Find out the meaning of the following idioms and make a sentence with each of them:
- break wind - to be snowed under - chasing rainbows - the heat is on
Activity 2)
"It's raining cats and dogs II"
Class activity: Work in groups of 5. Gather as many weather related idioms as you can. Then show your list to the class. You will be allowed to throw the stuffed cats and dogs at your classmates every time you share an idiom they did not have. You must be able to provide a definition and an example.
Building automation is a programmed, computerized, intelligent networkof electronic devices that monitor and control the mechanical and lighting systems in a building. The intent is to create an intelligent building and reduce energy and maintenance costs. Infrastructure
Controller The controller is normally one or more application specific controllers, often with less complex programming. These controllers come in a wide range of sizes and capabilities to control devices that are common in buildings. Usually the primary and secondary buses are chosen based on what the controllers provide. Most PLCs provide general purpose feedback loops, as well as digital circuits.
Occupancy sensors Occupancy is usually based on time of day schedules. Override is possible through different means. Some buildings can sense occupancy in their internal spaces by an override switch or sensor.
Lighting Lighting can be turned on and off with a building automation system based on time of day, or the occupancy sensors and timers. One typical example is to turn the lights in a space on for a half hour since the last motion was sensed. A photocell placed outside a building can sense darkness, and the time of day, and modulate lights in outer offices and the parking lot.
Air handlers Most air handlers mix return and outside air so less temperature change is needed. This can save money by using less chilled or heated water (not all AHUs use chilled/hot water circuits). Some external air is needed to keep the building's air healthy. Analog or digital temperature sensors may be placed in the space or room, the return and supply air ducts, and sometimes the external air. Actuators are placed on the hot and chilled water valves, the outside air and return air dampers. The supply fan (and return if applicable) is started and stopped based on either time of day, temperatures, building pressures or a combination. Constant Volume Air-Handling Units The less efficient type of air-handler is a "Constant Volume Air Handling Unit," or CAV. The fans in CAVs do not have variable-speed controls. Instead, CAVs open and close dampers and water-supply valves to maintain temperatures in the building's spaces. They heat or cool the spaces by opening or closing chilled or hot water valves that feed their internal heat exchangers. Generally one CAV serves several spaces, but large buildings may have many CAVs.
Variable Volume Air-Handling Units A more efficient unit is a "Variable air volume (VAV) Air-Handling Unit," or VAV. VAVs supply pressurized air to VAV boxes, usually one box per room or area. A VAV air handler can change the pressure to the VAV boxes by changing the speed of a fan or blower with a variable frequency drive or (less efficiently) by moving inlet guide vanes to a fixed-speed fan. The amount of air is determined by the needs of the spaces served by the VAV boxes. Each VAV box supply air to a small space, like an office. Each box has a damper that is opened or closed based on how much heating or cooling is required in its space. The more boxes are open, the more air is required, and a greater amount of air is supplied by the VAV air-handling unit. Some VAV boxes also have hot water valves and an internal heat exchanger. The valves for hot and cold water are opened or closed based on the heat demand for the spaces it is supplying. These heated VAV boxes are sometimes used on the perimeter only and the interior zones are cooling only. A minimum and maximum CFM must be set on VAV boxes to assure adaquate ventilation and proper air balance.
VAV Hybrid Systems Another variation is a hybrid between VAV and CAV systems. In this system, the interior zones operate as in a VAV system. The outer zones differ in that the heating is supplied by a heating fan in a central location usually with a heating coil fed by the building boiler. The heated air is ducted to the exterior dual duct mixing boxes and dampers controlled by the zone thermostat calling for either cooled or heated air as needed.
Central plant A central plant is needed to supply the air-handling units with water. It may supply a chilled water system, hot water system and a condenser water system, as well as transformers and auxiliary power unit for emergency power. If well managed, these can often help each other. For example, some plants generate electric power at periods with peak demand, using a gas turbine, and then use the turbine's hot exhaust to heat water or power an absorptive chiller.
Chilled water system Chilled water is often used to cool a building's air and equipment. The chilled water system will have chiller(s) and pumps. Analog temperature sensors measure the chilled water supply and return lines. The chiller(s) are sequenced on and off to chill the chilled water supply.
Condenser water system Cooling tower(s) and pumps are used to supply cool condenser water to the chillers. The condenser water supply to the chillers has to be constant so, speed drives are commonly used on the cooling tower fans to control temperature. Proper cooling tower temperature assures the proper refrigerant head pressure in the chiller. The cooling tower set point used depends upon the refrigerant being used. Analog temperature sensors measure the condenser water supply and return lines.
Hot water system The hot water system supplies heat to the building's air-handling units or VAV boxes. The hot water system will have a boiler(s) and pumps. Analog temperature sensors are placed in the hot water supply and return lines. Some type of mixing valve is usually used to control the heating water loop temperature. The boiler(s) and pumps are sequenced on and off to maintain supply.
Alarms and security Many building automation systems have alarm capabilities. If an alarm is detected, it can be programmed to notify someone. Notification can be through a computer, pager, cellular phone, or audible alarm. Common temperature alarms are Space, Supply Air, Chilled Water Supply and Hot Water Supply. Differential pressure switches can be placed on the filter to determine if it is dirty. Status alarms are common. If a mechanical device like a pump is requested to start, and the status input indicates it is off. This can indicate a mechanical failure. Some valve actuators have end switches to indicate if the valve has opened or not. Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide sensors can be used to alarm if levels are too high. Refrigerant sensors can be used to indicate a possible refrigerant leak. Amperage sensors can be used to detect low amperage conditions caused by slipping fan belts, or clogging strainers at pumps. At sites with several buildings, momentary power failures can cause hundreds or thousands of alarms from equipment that has shut down. Some sites are programmed so that critical alarms are automatically re-sent at varying intervals. For example, a repeating critical alarm (of a uninterruptible power supply in 'by pass') might resound at 10 minutes, 30 minutes, and every 2 to 4 hours there after until the alarms are resolved. Security systems can be interlocked to a building automation system. If occupancy sensors are present, they can also be used as burglar alarms. Fire and smoke alarm systems can be hard-wired to override building automation. For example: if the smoke alarm is activated, all the outside air dampers close to prevent air coming into the building, and an exhaust system can isolate the alarmed area and activate an exhaust fan to move smoke out of the area. Life safety applications are normally hard-wired to a mechanical device to override building automation control.
Activities
I) Match each term with its correct definition
A
1 Building Automation 2 Controller 3 Occupancy sensors 4 Lighting 5 Air handlers 6 Central plant 7 Chilled water system
B
____ is often used to cool a building's air and equipment. ____ mix return and outside air so less temperature change is needed. ____ is a programmed, computerized, intelligent network of electronic devices in a building. ____ can sense occupancy. ____ is needed to supply the air handling units with water. ____ can be turned on and off with a building automation system based on time of day, or the occupancy sensors and timers. ____ is normally one or more application specific controllers, often with less complex programming.
II) Find any kind of information about the underlined words that appear in the text above. Then, create a sentence with each of them.
1 Network
2 Circuits
3 Air dumpers
4 Switches
5 Transformers
III) Select the correct idiom for each definition
1-. You are in a difficult situation with very little room for manoeuvre. A) beneath the wall B) behind the wall C) back to the wall D) in front of the wall
2-. If something happens away from the public eye. A) behind closed doors B) beyond closed doors C) beside closed doors D) behind closed windows
3-. Someone is very excited about something. A) jump off the walls B) bounce the walls C) bounce off the doors D) bounce off the walls
4-. Plans that are impractical and will never work out. A) castles in the air B) houses in the air C) castles in the earth D) castles in the beach
5-. Something that is off the wall is unconventional. A) out the wall B) of the wall C) offer the wall D) off the wall
6-. If someone hits the ceiling, they lose their temper and become very angry. A) hit the roof B) heat the ceiling C) hit the seal D) hit the ceiling
IV) Answer true or false.
___ Chilled water is often used to heat a building’s air and equipment. ___ Hot water pumps are used to supply cool condenser water to the chillers. ___ Analog temperature sensors measure the chilled water supply and return lines. ___ Speed drives are commonly used on the cooling tower fans to control temperature. ___ The hot water system will have a boiler(s) and pumps. ___ Analog temperature sensors are placed in the hot water supply and return lines. ___ Lighting can be turn on and off with a building automation system based on temperature.
V) Complete the following text with the correct idiom from exercise II.
Last saturday night I was thinking about a new invention to conquer the world and become famous and finally I got it. I was _________________________________ beacuse of thar new idea. I immediately called my husband to tell him about this revolutionary invention. Regretfully, when I told him, he said it was completely __________________ and he suggested me to stop building __________________. When I heard that I really ____________________ and I told him he was an idiot. After a while I felt very sorry about it and I decided to prepare a delicious dinner to reconcile whit him. The reconciliation was wonderful but I can not tell you more details since it happened _____________________________.
VI) Complete the following sentences with the given words.
Central plant Air handlers Occupancy Water valves Hybrid Lighting
Some buildings can sence _________________________ in their internal spaces by an overrride switch or sensor. _____________________ can be turned on and off with a building automation system based on time of day. Most _____________________ mix return and outside air so less temperature change is needed. They heat or cool the spaces by opening or closing chilled or hot __________________ that feed their internal heat exchangers. Another variation is a ___________________ between VAV and CAV systems. A ________________ is needed to supply the air handling units with water.
VII) Answer the following questions:
What is building automation? What are occupancy sensors used for? What’s the function of Air handlers? What’s the difference between CAVs and VAVs? What’s the function of the central plant?
Global warming refers to the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and oceans in recent decades and its projected continuation.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concludes, "most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in greenhouse gas concentrations via the greenhouse effect”. Natural phenomena such as solar radiation combined with active volcanoes probably had a small warming effect from pre-industrial times to 1950 and a small cooling effect from 1950 onward. These basic conclusions have been endorsed by at least 30 scientific societies and academies of science. While individual scientists have voiced disagreement with some of the main conclusions of the IPCC, the overwhelming majority of scientists working on climate change are in agreement with them.
Increasing global temperatures will cause sea level to rise, and is expected to increase the intensity of extreme weather events and to change the amount and pattern of precipitation. Other effects of global warming include changes in agricultural yields, glacier retreat, species extinctions, and increases in the ranges of disease vectors.
Remaining scientific uncertainties include the amount of warming expected in the future, and how warming and related changes will vary from region to region around the globe. There is ongoing political and public debate worldwide regarding what, if any, action should be taken to reduce or reverse future warming or to adapt to its expected consequences. Most national governments have signed and ratified the Kyoto Protocol, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
ACTIVITY I: DEFINITIONS: Find any kind of information about the underlined words that appear in the text above. Then, according to that information, define them using your own words, and provide examples if there are any.
ACTIVITY II: TRUE OR FALSE: Read the document above. Then, write a “T” for “true” or an “F” for “false” for each statement according to its veracity. Correct any false statement you may find.
1) ___ Global warming refers only to the increase in the average temperature of the Earth.
2) ___ Natural phenomena such as solar radiation combined with active volcanoes probably had both warming effects and cooling effects on our planet.
3) ___ Most of the scientists agree with the conclusions obtained by the IPCC about global warming.
4) ___ The rising of the sea level increases the intensity of extreme weather events and modifies the amount and pattern of global precipitation.
5) ___ Thanks to the Kyoto Protocol, the problem of global warming will be over pretty soon.
Aeroplane, Plane:A heavier-than-air vehicle designed to use the pressures created by its motion through the air to lift and transport useful loads.
Glider: A light engineless aircraft designed to glide after being towed aloft or launched from a catapult.
Aircraft: A machine or device, lighter and smaller than an aeroplane, that is capable of atmospheric flight.
Helicopter: An aircraft that derives its lift from blades that rotates about an approximately vertical central axis.
Rocket: Cylindrical flying machine used for space trips.
Dirigible: Motor-driven lighter-than-air craft that can be flown against the wind and steered.
Hot Air Balloon:Large bag filled with hot air so that it is lighter than the surrounding air. It often has a basket attached beneath it for carrying passengers and equipment.
A helicopter is an aircraft which is lifted and propelled by one or more horizontalrotors, each rotor consisting of two or more rotor blades. Helicopters are classified as rotorcraftor rotary-wing aircraft to distinguish them from fixed-wing aircraft because the helicopter derives its source of lift from the rotor blades rotating around a mast. The word 'helicopter' is adapted from the Frenchhélicoptère, coined by Gustave de Ponton d'Amecourt in 1861.
As an aircraft, the primary advantages of the helicopter are due to the rotor blades that revolve through the air, providing lift without requiring the aircraft to move forward the way an airplane does. This creates the ability for the helicopter to take off and land vertically without the need for runways. For this reason, helicopters are often used to operate in congested or isolated areas where airplanes are generally not able to take off or land. The lift from the rotor also allows the helicopter to hover in one area for extended periods of time, and to do so more efficiently than other forms of vertical take-off and landing aircraft, making it useful in accomplishing tasks that airplanes are not able to perform.
Although helicopters were developed and built during the first half century of flight, some even reaching limited production; it wasn't until 1942 that a helicopter designed by Igor Sikorsky became the first helicopter to enter full-scale production, totaling over 400 copies. Even though most previous designs utilized more than one main rotor, it was the single main rotor with antitorque tail rotor configuration of this design that would come to be recognized worldwide as the helicopter.
Our blog is based on the subject of Robotics. You will see different kinds of robots and their parts that will help you to understand more about this subject , also you can find some videos of the most interesting kind of robots in Japan and the world .This is the link to our blog:
Our blog is based on the subject of space and technology. We will show different kinds of spacecrafts that help us to understand what is happening out there and some recent news about this subject. My classmate and I worked really hard on this awesome blog. We both hope that you find it quite interesting. This is the link to our blog: http://spaceandtechnology07.blogspot.com/
Our text deals with one of the most important issues regarding Global Warming, the Ice melting in the Arctic.
Global warming threatens Arctic
The Arctic ice cap is melting so rapidly it may completely disappear by the end of the century, US scientists have warned. Experts at America’s National Snow and Ice Data Centre* (NSIDC) have reported that recent satellite images revealed the volume of sea ice was the lowest figure on record. The polar ice pack has shrunk by 30 percent since 1978. An area five times larger than the UK has vanished and the Arctic’s disappearing act is quickening. This year saw the warmest Arctic summer in 400 years. Dr. Mark Serreze from the NSIDC said: “The year 2005 puts an exclamation point on the pattern of Arctic warming.” He attributes the worrying trend of melting ice caps to global warming. The NSIDC’s leader Dr. Ted Scambos said the Arctic Circle is receding at such a rate that it is now close to a “tipping point” from which it may never recover. He said the Arctic is caught in a vicious circle, which, within a century, may lead to high temperatures not seen for a million years. Less sea ice means the planet cannot reflect the suns rays and cool itself. Warmer seas and oceans absorb more of the sun’s heat, which in turn melts more ice. The loss of sea ice is a self-perpetuating recipe for climate disaster. Current shrinkage is estimated at eight percent per decade, which means there may be no ice at all during the Arctic summer of 2060. Dr. Scambos issued a dire warning that it is “pretty certain a long-term decline is underway”.
ACTIVITY ONE:
Fill in the gaps with the missing vowels in order to find words that appear in the article
P_l_r
_c__ns
D_s_pp__r_ng
t_mp_r_t_r_s
Shr_nk_g_
W_rm_ng
_c_
V_n_sh_d
_bs_rb
P_rc_nt
l__d
ACTIVITY TWO:
Arrange the following sentence so it can make sense.
close Circle recover to is The a receding NSIDC’s “ at leader tipping such Dr point a . ” rate Ted from that Scambos which it said it is the may now Arctic never
ACTIVITY THREE:
The following sentence has lost its spaces, split it into words
The First Video Game: Tennis for Two Jan 1, 1958 Physicist Willy Higinbotham invents the first "video game" at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York. His game, a table tennis-like game, was played on an oscilloscope. It is used to entertain visitors at the lab's annual open house.
Spacewar (PDP-1) (VIDEO) Jan 1, 1961 Steve Russell, a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), creates Spacewar, the first interactive computer game. It runs on a Digital PDP-1 mainframe computer, and the graphics are made up of ASCII text characters. It quickly spreads to universities and research facilities around the country. Spacewar! is one of the earliest known digital computer games. Steve "Slug" Russell, Martin "Shag" Graetz and Wayne Wiitanen of the fictitious "Hingham Institute" conceived of the game in 1961, with the intent of implementing it on a DEC PDP-1 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After Alan Kotok obtained some sine and cosine routines from DEC, Russell began coding, and by February 1962 had produced his first version. It took approximately 200 hours of work to create the initial version. Additional features were developed by Dan Edwards, Peter Samson, and Graetz
The Galaxy Game is the earliest known coin-operated computer or video game. It was installed at the Tresidder Union at Stanford University in September, 1971, two months before the release of Computer Space, the first mass-produced such game.[1] Only one unit was ever built, though the game later included several consoles allowing users to play against each other.The game was programmed by Bill Pitts and Hugh Tuck. Like Computer Space, it was a version of the existing Spacewar!, which had previously been played on the PDP-1. The coin-operated game console incorporated a Digital PDP-11/20 with vector displays. The hardware cost around $20,000, and a game cost 10 cents or three games for 25 cents. In June 1972 the hardware was improved to allow the processor to power four to eight consoles. The game remained popular on campus, with wait times for players as much as one hour, until it was removed in May 1979. The unit was restored in 1997 and now resides in the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California. Computer Space is a video arcade game released in November 1971 by Nutting Associates. Created by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, who would both later found Atari, it is generally accepted that it was the world's first commercially sold coin-operated video game — and indeed, the first commercially sold video game of any kind, predating the Magnavox Odyssey by six months, and Atari's Pong by one year. Though not commercially sold, the coin operated minicomputer driven Galaxy Game preceded it by two months, located solely at Stanford University.
Video Game Consoles (1970-1976) Magnavox Odyssey Released in 1972 The Magnavox Odyssey is the first home video game console, predating the Atari PONG home consoles by three years. The Odyssey was designed by Ralph Baer, who had a working prototype finished by 1968. This prototype is affectionately known as the "Brown Box" to classic video game hobbyists. Unlike most video game consoles, the Odyssey is analog rather than digital, which makes its invention all the more amazing in spite of its rather crude graphics and controller responsiveness. Also, unlike any conventional console today, this system was powered by batteries. The Odyssey and its variants also lack sound capability (hence a silent console), which was not uncommon in early PONG systems of that era. The Odyssey was released in May 1972. While it did not perform badly, it did not take long before it succumbed to poor marketing by Magnavox retail chains. One of their mistakes was misleading consumers into believing that the Odyssey would work only on Magnavox televisions. It did, however, prove that consoles for the home could be designed.
Atari PONG Released in 1975 In 1973, after the success of the original PONG coin-op, an Atari engineer by the name of Harold Lee came up with the idea of a home PONG unit. Since the PONG coin-op that Alan Alcorn designed was nothing more than the game board connected to an actual television set, he thought it would be possible to scale it down a bit and modify it for use at home. This would be a new direction for the fledgling Atari consumer electronics. If they could pull it off, they would be one of the pioneers of using high tech custom integrated circuits in the consumer industry. In 1975 it was decided Sears would sell PONG under it's own specially created Tele-Games label, and production was initially projected at 50,000 units. This was soon raised to 150,000 for the 1975 Christmass season. Atari agreed to give Sears exclusive rights for the following year, and would continue to make custom Tele-Games versions for any future consoles. This was the beginning of a long relationship between Atari and Sears, which would continue even after Nolan Bushnell sold Atari to Warner.
Magnavox Odyssey 100 Released in 1975 The Odyssey 100 was an analog system which used four Texas Instruments chips. It did not use cartridges and played two games: TENNIS and HOCKEY. A simple switch selected the games, and the system was either powered by six batteries, or by an AC adaptor (such power supplies were widely used by other systems). The Odyssey 100 was very basic and didn't have the common features of the million-seller PONG systems of the next years. The knobs were fixed: there were no detachable controllers yet. There was no digital on-screen scoring: the players marked their score using two little plastic cursors on the system. The serve couldn't be changed: it was automatic. This could seem strange compared to the first Atari PONG systems which already had digital on-screen scoring. In fact, this was just a question of technology. On-screen scoring would have required additional components, which would have increased the cost of the system. Nevertheless, on-screen scoring was added in later systems although the first attempts used archaic graphics. The first Magnavox system to offer digital on-screen was the Odyssey 300 in 1976.
Magnavox Odyssey 200 Released in 1975 Still in 1975, Magnavox released an improved version of the Odyssey 100: the Odyssey 200. It was same as the Odyssey 100 but with two additional chips from Texas Instruments, which added a third game called SMASH and some on-screen scoring. The Odyssey 200 could be played by two or four players (first system to offer this feature), and displayed very basic on-screen scoring using small rectangles (it still had the two plastic cursors to record the scores). Each time a player marked a point, his white rectangle would shift on the right. The winner was obviously the first whose rectangle would reach the rightmost position on the screen. Although the scores were not yet digital, the Odyssey 200 remained more advanced than the first home version of Atari PONG because it played three different games for two or four players. 1975 marked the beginning of a long history. Both Atari and Magnavox released their systems, and more advanced ones were to come.
Atari Super PONG Released in 1976 Atari's sales of the Home PONG console were phenomenal to put it mildly. Atari would continue to cash in of the PONG franchise by releasing yet another home version of one of its arcade game assets. This time it would be Super PONG. Now home players could select for 4 different variations of PONG games to delight and entertain them for countless hours. Meanwhile numerous knock-off PONG-type consoles were hitting the market. However, because of Atari's now well known presence in the coin-op market, its name recognition helped it stand out. Also Atari's unusual Pedestal design helped Atari stand out in the Sears Retail Stores as well as other stores who were now carrying Atari products. When compared to the plethora of bland and boxy "Me-Too" consoles by so many other companies, the Atari PONG line of consoles simply stood out. Atari's consoles had eye catching rainbow colors and a deep and ear catching PONG sound from their built in speaker. Most other consoles were still far behind playing catch up with Black & White displays, flimsy controllers and some even without sound.
Pac-man Jan, 1980 The Japanese company, Namco, along with America's Midway, bring the game Puck-Man to the US. Fearing that the American public will be tempted to alter the game's name to something more offensive, distributors re-name it Pac-Man prior to its debut. This hugely pouplar game is the first to have an animated main character with its own name. 300,000 units of Pac-Man are released worldwide by Namco.
Nintendo Famicom released in Japan Jan 3, 1983 Nintendo introduces the Famicom in Japan—later known as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in the U.S. Since Atari controls such a large percentage of the market, they do not plan to market the product in the U.S. Instead the company offers Atari the rights to distribute the product in the U.S. These plans fall through and Americans do not see Nintendo until 1985. Sega Genesis: First 16-bit console Jan 2, 1989 The true arcade experience comes into American homes when Sega debuts the Genesis, its first 16-bit home game console, for $249.95.
Sony Playstation released in Japan Jan 2, 1994 In Japan, the Sega Saturn and the Sony PlayStation make their debut. Sony Playstation released in US Jan 1, 1995 Sony brings the PlayStation to the U.S. and sells the console for $299. Jan 2007 PlayStation is considered by many in the industry as most popular game console as the 20 millionth unit is sold.
Nintendo 64 released in Japan Jan 2, 1995
Nintendo releases the Nintendo 64 in Japan (it's released in the U.S. in 1996). Sega Dreamcast released in Japan Jan 1, 1998
Sega introduces the Dreamcast in Japan. This console operates on Microsoft Windows CE which will allow for easier conversions between Dreamcast and PC games. It has a built-in 56 kbps moden.
Microsoft Xbox 360 released Jan 1, 2006
Microsoft unveils the XBox 360, a console system to be released in November 2005. Sony and Nintendo's competing console systems are planned for release in 2006. Nintendo Wii released Oct 1, 2006
While arguably most games are a simulation of something, simulation games, or "sims" take it a step further, recreating a particular situation in more exacting detail. Flight sims, for example, give the player full control of the plane, down to every switch and gauge. Other types of sims replicate driving a race car, coaching a sports team, running a city, or even dating
Packet Loss
Brief interruptions in gameplay caused by a poor connection to a server. This appears as a slight delay in the action, or if the connection is very unstable, a stuttering effect. Synonym: lag.
XP (Experience Points)
In roleplaying games, the player gains these by defeating enemies or accomplishing key goals. After a certain number of points, the player gains new abilities and grows stronger, a process known as "leveling up." Gamers play in many different ways. Here are some terms you might hear when someone describes another gamer's style Server A computer or device on a network that manages network resources. For example, when you want to join a game on Xbox Live, you choose from a list of servers running the game
ScienceDaily (Sep. 21, 2007) — Finding a way to motivate the billion people in the world who are overweight to lose excess pounds can be an overwhelming task, but a University of Houston professor is meeting that weighty challenge with a challenge of his own.
Ioannis Pavlidis, a UH computer science professor, and research assistants Yuichi Fujiki and Kostas Kazakos, have developed a computer game that translates physical activity into video games, such as races and logic puzzles. Dubbed Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT-o) games, they can be played on any hand-held personal digital assistant (PDA) with users wearing a lightweight, wearable sensor that detects movement like running, walking, bending over or even foot tapping.
That data is then transmitted to the PDA via a wireless connection, and the player can see his or her game avatar move in real-time to their movements. For example, in the race game, the player’s physical activity propels the avatar around the track – the more active the player is, the faster and farther the avatar goes.
“When you see the avatar move when you move, you really become connected to the game,” Pavlidis said.
Capitalizing on the buddy system for working out, users can link to other gamers by cellular phone networks and compete against multiple users in the next cubicle or the next state. The game can run all day in the background as users go about their daily routines while earning points and propelling their avatars as they walk to the copy machine, take coffee breaks or walk the dog.
The lack of daily mild exercise is largely responsible for the world’s obesity epidemic, according to James Levine, a Mayo Clinic physician and leading authority on obesity. Levine coined the ‘NEAT’ term to cover all physical activity that is not conscious exercise. Since hitting the gym for a regular workout might be too much to expect for those returning to the fitness fold, these games encourage small, everyday lifestyle changes, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator or parking a few spaces away from a store entrance versus driving around to find the closest spot available.
“We hope the games can increase physical activity, add a dosage of everyday fun and embed NEAT in the modern lifestyle,” Pavlidis said. “We expect an almost ‘addictive’ behavior resulting from this game, much like the habit of playing solitaire during breaks is an everyday ritual for many people. Because of the way we live today, people are sitting all the time, so moving more is always a good thing.
“The allure of computer gaming and competition with other users encourages players to make small lifestyle changes that can add up to big health benefits,” Pavlidis said.
A computer science student who was one of the first to try out the devices lost 40 pounds in five months. The games also have been a hit with early test groups and received rave reviews from players at an April academic gathering of computer scientists.
Along with the straightforward racing game, Pavlidis also recently rolled out his version of Sodoku, a logic-based numbers puzzle that has become wildly popular. In this adaptation of Sodoku, the points players earn through physical activity can be used to fill in another square on the grid, providing clues to solving the rest of the puzzle. More games designed to appeal to a variety of age groups are in the works.
Levine’s lab at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., is gauging the games’ effectiveness in a large trial experiment that began in June. Financed by an endowed fund and a National Science Foundation grant, Pavlidis hopes the game will be available to the public before the end of 2008.
Glossary
NEAT-o game: A computer game that helps you to lose weight. (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis)
Personal digital assistantnoun[C] (ABBREVIATIONPDA) : a small computer that you can carry with you.
Wireless connection:it is used to refer to any type of electrical or electronic operation which is accomplished without the use of a "hard wired" connection.
Buddy system: The buddy system is a system in which two people, buddies, operate as a single unit so that they are able to monitor and help each other.
Avatar: noun[C]: in computing, an image which represents you in online games, chat rooms, etc. and which you can move around the screen using the mouse or keys.
Cubicle: noun[C] : a small space with walls or curtains around it, that is separate from the rest of a room and where you can be private when taking clothes off, etc.
To propel: verb[T]-ll-to push or move something somewhere, often with a lot of force
Allure: (noun) attraction, charm or excitement
Racing game: it is any game that involves competing in races through a surrogate playing piece or vehicle, either getting it from one point to another or completing a number of circuits in the shortest time.
Sodoku: Sudoku is a logic-based number placement puzzle. The objective is to fill a 9×9 grid so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3×3 boxes (also called blocks or regions) contains the digits from 1 to 9, only one time each (that is, exclusively). The puzzle setter provides a partially completed grid.
To gauge: gauge(MEASURE), US alsogage, verb[T]
to calculate an amount, especially by using a measuring device
Activities
True or False:
1.____ Fujiki and Kazakos have developed a computer game that translates neuronal activity into video games.
2.____That data is transmitted to the PDA via a wire connection
3.____ The player can see his or her game avatar move in real-time to their movements
4.____ The lack of daily mild exercise is largely responsible for the world’s obesity epidemic.
5.____ A computer science student who was one of the first to try out the devices lost 80
pounds in five months.
Fill in the Gaps:
Computer - research - game -physical -races - logic -personal digital assistant (PDA) – sensor - bending over – behavior – solitaire- ritual – sitting
1. Ioannis Pavlidis, a UH (a)________ science professor, and (b)_________ assistants Yuichi Fujiki and Kostas Kazakos,have developed a computer (c)________that translates (d)________activity into video games, such as (e)________and (f)________puzzles.
2. They can be played on any hand-held (a)_____________________________with users wearing a lightweight, wearable (b)__________that detects movement like running, walking, (c)_____________or even foot tapping.
3. “We expect an almost ‘addictive’ (a) _________resulting from this game; much like the habit of playing (b) ___________during breaks is an everyday (c) ___________for many people. Because of the way we live today, people are (d) __________all the time, so moving more is always a good thing.”
Match the columns
1______Personal digital assistantA) to calculate an amount
2______ AllureB)a logic-based number placement puzzle
3______To gaugeC) a small computer that you can carry with you.
4______SodokuD)attraction, charm or excitement
Answer the Following Questions:
What did professor Pavlidis and his research assistants develop?
How are these games played?
What is the purpose of Pavlidis’s invention?
Fill in the gaps with the missing letter:
1. B__d__ys__s__e__: It is a system in which two people, buddies, operate as a single unit so that they are able to monitor and help each other.
2. N__A__-og__m__: A computer game that helps you to lose weight.
3. A__a__a__: in computing, an image which represents you in online games.
Create a short paragraph using the following words:
1. They developed a computer game that translates physical activity into video games.
2. They can be played on any hand-held personal digital assistant (PDA) with users wearing a lightweight, wearable sensor that detects movement like running, walking, bending over or even foot tapping.
3. They hope the games can increase physical activity, add a dosage of everyday fun and embed NEAT in the modern lifestyle
