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Monthly Archives: March 2023
Cyberpunk 2077 review | TechRadar
Posted: March 31, 2023 at 1:32 am
Review Information
Time played: 45 hours
Platform: PC
Hotly anticipated for the best part of a decade, Cyberpunk 2077 is finally here, and its as rambunctiously detailed and gorgeous as the trailers suggest.
CD Projekt Red has added another inimitable RPG to its library, one that you could easily sink tens of hours into over the course of many months, eking out every hair-splitting detail.
Its easy to recommend if you need a big game to tide you through the holiday season, especially if you can look past the present mechanical hiccups and a somewhat compromised narrative.
In Cyberpunk 2077, you play as V, a mouthy merc who will do whatever it takes to become a living legend in Night City. Unfortunately, that also means harboring the long-dead spirit of Keanu Ree-, sorry, Johnny Silverhand, a washed-up rockstar terrorist who is slowly taking over their mind. Hi-jinks ensue!
When you get your hands on the game, the scale of Cyberpunk 2077 will no doubt make you anxious. Weve spent 45 hours poring over the majority of its content and experiencing three of its endings, and our map screen is still nowhere near clear. But this is no cause for concern because when it comes to RPG quest design, CD Projekt Red is the best in the business.
Even the most inoffensive of enemy encounters has a story behind it in Cyberpunk 2077, which makes exploration fundamentally awesome. Thanks to the scope of the setting, you never really know who or what youre going to stumble into next. A burger date with a criminal messiah or a black market braindance exorcism? Even the rowdy racing missions are good fun. Curious delights await the most inquisitive players, and youve always got options in how you want to approach them.
Its very easy to spend 30+ satisfying minutes quick saving and quick loading your way through one combat segment to get the right sequence of events you had mapped out in your head. Youll sear your synapses over a dubious dialogue choice in an otherwise unimportant side mission just because the framing is so interesting that you care about the outcome.
Its that Witcher witchcraft that the Polish developer is famous for that makes what is banal in other open-world games exhilarating here. We kept saying wed crack on with the main missions in the interest of completing the game quicker, but every time we finished one, wed get dragged away into a four-hour desert stupor of superb side quest after superb side quest.
Roleplay certainly played a part in how this game took our brain hostage. We played as a Nomad hacker with a teal undercut and custom heart-shaped pubes. Our V is a smooth-talking technical mastermind who can breach their opponents defenses from afar and contaminate them with code, causing contagion and cyber psychosis, forcing their manipulated subjects into forced suicide.
This games hacking mechanics put Watch Dogs to shame, letting you control almost every aspect of an environment in a fashion only rivaled by classic immersive simulators like Deus Ex. If things went awry, wed rely on our cybernetic augmentations to do the talking, like our dermal engravings that let you wield Smart weapons with homing bullets and the Mantis Blades, razor-sharp forearm protrusions that let us mop up any mushy-brained stragglers.
And even when missions pump the brakes, Cyberpunk 2077 keeps things interesting by turning you into a Batman Arkham-esque investigator. Braindance puzzles divulge plot details by letting you play through and inspect others recorded memories committed to digital wax. Youll then be able to spot-check suspicious NPCs with stat-based dialogue checks that hark back to the halcyon days of Fallout 3.
If you think about it, there arent many single-player FPS RPGs of this nature on the market, so returning to this style felt novel, especially with the next-gen nuance implemented by CD Projekt Red. But thats not to say there arent some redundant systems in play here.
It's a lot more dynamic in practice, but Cyberpunk 2077s nearest neighbor combat wise is Fallout 4. Its not doing anything too exciting in that department beyond the quirky cyberware, but it still provides a good enough gameplay loop. However, melee combat, especially with blunt weapons, feels particularly floaty and disappointing, so its a shame that theres an entire branch of missions based around it.
And over nearly 50 hours, weve never even considered the need for consumable food or drink items, despite the fact that they so easily clog your inventory. The Wanted system is also a dead weight that serves no purpose other than to annoy you when you run over a civilian by mistake easy to do, given the tight streets and erratic steering of vehicles as you travel between icons.
And yes, unfortunately, there are plenty of glitches to contend with. From quests we cant complete to overlays not going away, there's a lot going on. Weve had memorable moments scuppered by unruly animations and missing dialogue and textures. Par for the course, you might say, and fair enough it hasnt stopped us from mainlining the damn thing long after completing it. A Day One patch is coming which should iron out some of the creases, but given there are hundreds of clothing items and specific animations for pulling a laptop out from under a bed, keep your expectations tempered.
The main questline acts as the reliable spine of Cyberpunk 2077, introducing cool characters and providing structure to the open world, coaxing exploration in the same inoffensive way that Skyrim does. Given that youre playing as a blank slate, it falls short of being as rich and novelesque as The Witcher 3 if that is what youre expecting. Still, its an enjoyable blockbuster with some neat twists and killer set pieces, as you take out snipers at a busy corporate parade and infiltrate a digital brothel.
The supporting cast is fronted by Johnny Silverhand, Vs obnoxious sidekick whose in-game model looks like Keanu Reeves after a bad nights sleep. He goes on like one of those people still in denial about the death of rock music and exists to torment the player with eclectic dialogue that sticks out amid an unconvincing redemption arc. Reeves performance is great fun to watch, but the writing that surrounds it undermines it. Its a shame, but there are plenty of other interesting side characters with better arcs that youll get to know throughout the game.
In the themes and subtext department, the game is often at odds with itself. Its an anti-capitalist satire that has ironically positioned itself to be the ultimate hot commodity in 2020, one that has been made under allegedly questionable conditions. What were left with is a very corporate take on cyberpunk that leans on vogue 80s aesthetics, hypersexualization, and random spats of out-of-place philosophy. Its surprising how much it felt chained to the plot points and characters of its tabletop inspiration, too, despite being set half a century after it.
The way the game treats its female characters is disappointing, and its politics are all over the place. It digs into some sensitive themes that are well above its pay grade, and the conclusions often ring hollow thanks to the games inherent edginess. A lot of the imagery seems designed to shock the player without ever actually making them think, usually at the expense of the oppressed. Frankly, its hard to be enthused about the crystal ball punk manifesto of a game that brandishes influencers on its billboards...
Weve no idea how it plays on consoles just yet, but we played on PC with an RTX 2080 powering its stunning rain-slicked ray-traced streets. Even on max settings, it ran peachy, with some natural frame rate dips in busy areas. It sounds fantastic too. The sound designers and composers need a lot of credit for their thumping techno beats and Nine Inch Nail facsimiles that echo through grime-infested abandoned buildings and atmospheric bars. The guns are similarly crunchy and punchy, just how we like them.
Were going to be playing a lot more of Cyberpunk 2077, even though weve already seen it through and sunk nearly 50 thoroughly enjoyable hours into it over the course of a week. The fun factor, replayability, and value for money on offer is undeniable, and the limited market of FPS RPGs with immersive sim gameplay systems makes Cyberpunk 2077 an easy sell for those who love games like Fallout and Deus Ex its an amalgamation of many of the genres best features.
There are half-baked mechanics, glitches, and narrative missteps to contend with that you may or may not struggle to ignore. Still, the overall package is well worth a look, especially if you want to leverage the games remarkable fidelity to take advantage of your next-gen console or graphics card.
Cyberpunk 2077: Price Comparison
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More Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty DLC News Coming In June – GameSpot
Posted: at 1:32 am
- More Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty DLC News Coming In June GameSpot
- Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Info Finally Dropping in June Push Square
- CD Projekt Red promises to share more information about Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty in June Notebookcheck.net
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More Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty DLC News Coming In June - GameSpot
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‘QBism’: quantum mechanics is not a description of objective reality it reveals a world of genuine free will – The Conversation
Posted: at 1:31 am
'QBism': quantum mechanics is not a description of objective reality it reveals a world of genuine free will The Conversation
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Oceania – Students | Britannica Kids | Homework Help
Posted: at 1:31 am
Introduction Encyclopdia Britannica, Inc.
The geographic region Oceania includes roughly 10,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean, mainly in the western and central portions. Oceania covers about 20 million square miles (50 million square kilometers), or roughly one third of the enormous Pacific Ocean. Yet the total land area of the islands is very smallonly some 324,000 square miles (840,000 square kilometers). Papua New Guinea and New Zealand represent nine tenths of the total. The other islands cover merely 41,000 square miles (106,000 square kilometers)about the extent of Portugal or a third of Ecuador. Most of the islands appear simply as isolated specks on a map of the ocean, and some are mere rocks. Some of the islands are crowded with people, but others are total wilderness. About 14 million people live in the region, nearly three quarters of them in New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
Numerous Pacific islands are beyond the limits of Oceania as it is normally conceived. Many geographers consider Australia to be a part of Oceania, but others exclude it. This article does not include Australia (and its adjoining islands) for reasons of culture and geography. The term Oceania usually also excludes countries near the Asian mainland, such as Indonesia, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Japan, and the smaller islands those countries control. East Timor has cultural affinities with some Oceanian islands, but it is not discussed here because of its location west of New Guinea. The eastern Pacific has very few islands. Apart from Easter Island and a couple of small uninhabited islets, the remaining few islands of the eastern Pacific are usually excluded from Oceania.
Oceania is usually said to consist of three large geographic areasPolynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia. As with any generalization, however, this three-way division of Oceania is somewhat inaccurate: it was created by Europeans concerned with their own exploration, trade, missionary activities, and racial relationsand it ignored many cultural and historical details. Yet it helps to divide the region for quick reference, especially when considering differences in language and geography.
The name Polynesia means many islands; it applies mainly to islands with similar cultures that lie in the central Pacific. Among the countries of Polynesia are New Zealand, Tuvalu, Tonga, and Samoa. Also included are Frances overseas territory Wallis and Futuna and overseas country French Polynesia, which incorporates the Tuamotu, Gambier, Society, Austral, Leeward, and Marquesas islands. The New Zealand dependencies of Tokelau, the Cook Islands, and Niue; the United States dependencies of American Samoa, Jarvis, Palmyra, and Kingman Reef, among others; and the British-controlled Pitcairn Island are also part of Polynesia. Chile administers Easter Island, and Hawaii is a U.S. state.
The name Micronesia means small islands. Among the regions sovereign countries are Palau, Nauru, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands. Kiribati lies largely within Micronesia, but its eastern Phoenix and Line Islands jut into Polynesia. Also in Micronesia are the United States territories of Wake Island and Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, a commonwealth in association with the United States.
Melanesia means islands inhabited by Blacksa term introduced by racial-minded Europeans, though not all Melanesians have dark skin. Among the independent nations of Melanesia are Fiji, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. Melanesia also includes Papua New Guinea, which occupies the eastern part of the enormous island of New Guinea, as well as the Bismarck Archipelago and other nearby islands. The western part of New Guinea is often excluded from Oceania because it is part of Indonesia. New Caledonia is a French overseas country.
Within the popular imagination of many Westerners, the Oceanian islands have been associated with visions of an earthly paradise of crystal blue waters, white beaches, coconut palms, and smiling, subservient natives. Such images have been reinforced by popular films, romance novels, and glossy travel magazines and tourist-oriented Internet sites. There are some elements of truth to those images, in that the islands beauty is often breathtaking. However, real life in Oceania is more complex and contradictory, and at times quite difficultwith the picturesque landscape, the poetic quality of the ocean, and the wretchedness of life here, as the anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski wrote in the early 1900s. Problems on some islands include tropical diseases, drought, typhoons, volcanic eruptions, and stinging insects, as well as social problems such as unemployment, low-paying jobs, harsh working conditions, violence, and corruption.
Oceania is a physically diverse region, with climates ranging from desert to tropical rainforest and landforms from high mountain to inland swamp and coral reef. Some islands a thousand miles apart may have similar climates and features, yet large islands may have a variety of landscapes and climatic features within just a few miles.
Most continental and volcanic islands are called high islands even if they are not more than a few hundred feet high. Coral islands are generally called low islands because most are nearly at sea level.
New Zealand and the larger islands of Melanesia are called continental islands because they are made partly of extremely old rock layers, like portions of the continents. Many have steep slopes because of battering from sea waves and erosion from heavy rainfall. Not even the heavy growth of forest that covers these steep slopes can keep all the soil in place. Parts of New Guineas interior have terrain so rugged that they are nearly empty of people.
Most of the islands of Oceania are near the edge of the Pacific tectonic plate. As the plate moves northwest, it causes a great deal of geologic activity, including volcanic eruptions. Because of the many active volcanoes along the Pacific Plates boundaries, the surrounding shorelines are often called the Ring of Fire.
Volcanoes have created many Pacific islands, but only some are of the explosive kind. Others, such as those on the Hawaiian and Samoan islands, are massive dome-shaped volcanoes formed by successive sheets of lava flows. These types are called shield volcanoes because their rounded shapes look like warriors shields when viewed from above. The Hawaiian chain of islands is located on a geologic hot spot that has shifted southeastward for millions of years and is now under the island of Hawaii. Vast amounts of molten lava pour from Mauna Loa and Kilauea, the latter of which is the worlds largest active volcano. The island also has the highest shield volcano of Oceania, Mauna Kea, which rises to 13,796 feet (4,205 meters).
Low islands are called atolls if they consist of a ring of land or islets surrounding a shallow lagoon. Their land consists of broken pieces of coral and white sand. Many such low islands also have patches of fertile soil formed by slowly accumulated plant matter, airborne dust, and fertilizers applied by farmers. Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands is the largest atoll in the world. It consists of 90 islets on the rim of a lagoon of about 650 square miles (1,683 square kilometers). Many low islands are at risk from storms, tsunamis, and rising sea levels because of global warming.
Some coral islands consist of reef limestone that was raised slowly over thousands or even millions of years. Most of Tongas islands are of this raised type, including the largest, Tongatapu, which covers some 100 square miles (260 square kilometers). Equally large is the raised island of Niue. The two islands have rather flat surfaces and reddish-brown soil.
Because the limestone and volcanic rock on some islands is porous, there is little or no surface water. Many people depend on rainwater collected in cisterns, as well as imported potable water. Rainwater seeps underground where it collects above heavier salt water in a so-called freshwater lens. The bigger the island, the thicker and larger the lens. Small islets perched on atoll rims have small, thin, and fragile lenses. Such lenses are easy to exhaust, in which case seawater flows up and replaces themespecially where town wells draw excessive water.
Coral is also an important feature in the waters surrounding many islands. Nearly all the inhabited high islands of Oceania are surrounded by a type of coral reef called a fringing reef, except where the water is too cold.
Some parts of Oceania experience frequent earthquakes because of the movement of continental plates. Quakes that occur underwater sometimes produce tsunamis, or giant sea waves, which can cause terrible destruction when they reach shorelines. The worst natural disaster in Hawaiis history occurred when a tsunami struck the city of Hilo on April 1, 1946, causing 159 deaths. A tsunami that struck Papua New Guinea on July 17, 1998, killed more than 2,100 people, injured 1,000, and displaced 10,000 more.
Oceania is generally hot and humid year-round. The islands have no true winter or summer, but many areas experience seasonal changes in winds, ocean currents, and rainfall. Low islands are at the mercy of the winds, which can bring enough rain to create lush forests on some islands while leaving others dry wastelands. Most Oceanians live in parts of the western Pacific where rainfall exceeds 80 inches (200 centimeters) per year. In general, in the tropical areas strong trade winds blow from the east. Much farther away from the equator, the prevailing winds blow west to east. However, major storms and El Nio events can disrupt normal weather patterns.
Higher elevations generally have lower temperatures and higher amounts of rain, especially on slopes facing the wind. Mountains cause the air moving over them to rise and thus to cool. Clouds then form and produce rain. On the island of Kauai in Hawaii, roughly 460 inches (1,170 centimeters) of rain strike the summit of Mount Waialeale each year. But on the nearby sea the annual rainfall is only about 10 inches (25 centimeters). Hawaiis highest peaks, such as Mauna Kea, can be quite dry, because air blowing up the mountainsides loses most of its moisture before reaching the top. Mauna Kea has such clear air that it is one of the best astronomical sites on Earth.
Thunderstorms are frequent in Oceania, but far more dangerous are tropical storms, which extend for hundreds of miles. They sometimes grow powerful enough to become hurricanes, also called typhoons or tropical cyclones. The roaring winds and massive surges of ocean water that they produce can devastate farms, forests, villages, ports, and entire islands.
Where rainfall is plentiful, tropical plants such as coconuts, other palms, and breadfruit trees are common. The wetter islands also support varied animal life, such as multihued birds, fruit bats, crawling rodents, reptiles, and myriad insects. However, in some locations mosquitoes, biting flies, and sand fleas are unrelenting. Wild mammals bigger than pigs live only on the largest islands.
Many species have become extinct or endangered because of human farming, fishing, and hunting, as well as ill-conceived or accidental introductions of foreign species. Plants imported for agriculture or for ornamental reasons have crowded out innumerable species. Brown tree snakes, brought to Guam after World War II, are now a major threat to birds, lizards, and small mammals. Red deer, introduced to New Zealand by hunting enthusiasts, have multiplied into the millions. Rats gorging on eggs have nearly decimated entire species such as the tuatara lizard, which is now found only on some protected islands.
In their warm, shallow waters, coral reefs shelter enormous varieties of life, including sea anemones, marine worms, eels, fishes, shellfish, and sharks. Fringing reefs provide islands with an underwater wall that helps protect them from waves and swells. But submerged reefs can also tear gashes into boat hulls. Many reefs have been damaged or destroyed by overzealous fishers and clam hunters, as well as by ships and their anchors.
In all the vast area of Oceania there are roughly 14 million people. About three fourthsnearly 10 millionare in New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. Some 2 million more are divided between Hawaii and Fiji. The remainder are spread among numerous small islands. Oceanias population includes people of many different indigenous groups, in addition to later arrivals. Various indigenous Pacific Islanders form the largest groups in most places, with New Zealand, Hawaii, and the Northern Marianas being notable exceptions.
Of the three regions within Oceania, Melanesia has the largest population, especially in Papua New Guinea and Fiji. In addition to large numbers of indigenous islanders, there are many Indians, Chinese, and Indonesians. The latter groups have been called nonnative, though many of them were born on the islands. Nevertheless, they are often subject to racial and ethnic biases and even outright bigotry.
Polynesia is the next most populous region. New Zealand and Hawaii together account for more than 5 million people. At the other extreme, Pitcairn Island has only about 50 peopledescendants of the mutineers of the British ship HMS Bounty and their Polynesian companions. The Mori of New Zealand make up the largest number of indigenous Polynesians in the region, though nearly three fourths of that countrys people are of European descent. Most of Hawaiis people are descended from Asians and Europeans. In search of jobs, education, or other social opportunities, many Polynesians have migrated elsewhere; more people born in Niue and the Cook Islands live overseas than in their homelands. (See also Polynesian culture.)
Micronesia has the smallest population in Oceania. As in Polynesia, most of its population is widely dispersed in small groups on many islands. The largest cluster is on Guam, many of whose people are recent arrivals from Asia and the United States. Asians are also quite numerous in the Northern Marianas and Palau.
Nearly all the peoples of Oceania live in clusters, whether hamlets, villages, or cities. The majority of the people make a living in agriculture, either by farming their own plots of land, by working for plantations, or by exporting agricultural products.
In many places in Oceania, people have traditionally lived in large, extended-family groups. On many islands land has been owned and controlled at the village, family, or clan level and is inherited mainly through family connections. However, under the influence of European colonization and landowning laws in the 1800s and 1900s, large tracts of land were taken from hereditary owners.
Village layouts and building methods have changed radically. For example, traditional thatched roofs are well suited to the climate. However, many have been replaced with imported tin or corrugated steel roofs, which heat up quickly under the merciless tropical sun. The larger towns have grown faster than the villages, partly because of migration from rural areas to towns and cities. Nevertheless, large cities are still rare in Oceania.
In many Oceanian societies, people belong to large networks of relatives to whom they owe obligations based on kinship and on whom they may call in time of needfor example, in a drought or when a child is sent to school and needs tuition, books, and clothing. For a wedding or other large gathering, fellow villagers and relatives may feel honor-bound to assist. They may harvest extra taro and coconuts and make traditional gifts such as bark cloth and mats. They may also gather large quantities of fish or raise additional pigs for slaughter. In many places, large quantities of food are cooked in a rock-lined pit that is covered with leaves and a layer of earth, wet jute, or burlap sacks. At the start of the festivities, welcome speeches are often made and gifts exchanged.
Although traditional skills and customs have been kept alive in some areas, they have disappeared elsewhere, notably in cities. Rather than eating fresh-caught fish, many now eat fish out of cans, potted meat, and other convenience foods. At some celebrations, traditional Oceanian music has been replaced by recorded music, including American rap and hip-hop. As towns and cities grow, so do the numbers of video players, TVs, and computers. Yet the detritus of city life also grows, in the form of garbage heaps, sewage, and slums.
Major sources of individual and family income in Oceania include agriculture, fishing, mining, and tourism. Also important is the money sent home by workers who have found jobs in foreign countries, often as plantation or mine laborers. Foreign aid, fishing-rights contracts, and agricultural or mining exports are important sources of income to many island governments, which are generally the largest employers in the region.
Traditional households support themselves mainly by agriculture and fishing. Many households maintain gardens where crops are grown in shifting cultivation, also called slash-and-burn agriculture. Trees in forests are cut down and burned, leaving ashes to nourish the crops for a few brief seasons. After the soil nutrients are exhausted or the weeds have become too troublesome, another part of the forest is cleared and another garden planted.
Most subsistence crops produce edible roots or tubers such as taro and its relatives, which are grown in warm places. Sweet potatoes are found at higher altitudes or where it is colder, as in New Zealand. Coconut is very important. Its cream is used in cooking, and its dried meat, called copra, is the source of coconut oil. What is left is fed to pigs and other livestock, which may also graze on vegetation beneath the coconut trees. Chickens are also raised. Besides coconut palms, other common useful trees include bananas, sago palms in Melanesia, and breadfruit. Like many plants of Oceania, the breadfruit tree is not only grown for its fruit but is used to make other materials: the wood is good for building houses, the latex is used to caulk boats, and the leaf can be used as a plate.
On many of the larger islands, large companies that may be of European or Japanese origin own many coconut plantations. Indigenous islanders own smaller numbers of plantations. The principal plantation crop is copra, produced for export. Small farms also produce copra, and because people who live on atolls have little else to sell, coconut groves are the single most noticeable feature of many islands.
The more traditional societies of coastal Oceania still venture onto the reefs and open sea, catching and gathering fish, crustaceans, sea slugs, and a host of other edible marine species. Many groups have lost their fishing traditions, however. Large fishing boats working for foreign-owned corporations catch most of the fish in the region.
Mining is important, though Oceanias mineral reserves are small by world standards. In the 19th century guano, a natural fertilizer consisting of the manure of seabirds, was mined on many low islands. Today phosphate rock is taken from raised limestone islands. For decades, the main source of phosphate was Nauru, but its center has been transformed into a wasteland. New Caledonia is among the worlds leading producers of nickel, so its economy is influential in the region. Gold deposits have been found in limited quantities, with Papua New Guinea leading the region in exports. New Zealand also mines coal, natural gas, and petroleum, as well as minerals used in construction and industry.
Because opportunities and natural resources are limited on most islands, many see tourism as a major potential source of income. However, many jobs in tourism are menial and seasonal, and high travel times and costs can limit the number of visitors. Nevertheless, in recent decades tourism investment has significantly increased in Hawaii, New Zealand, Guam, Fiji, Tahiti (in French Polynesia), and other islands.
New Guinea and neighboring parts of Melanesia were probably first settled by Southeast Asians from 50,000 to 30,000 years ago, at roughly the same time as Australia. Bamboo rafts or other simple watercraft were probably used to make short ocean voyages during that period of discovery. Thriving on their abilities as gatherers (foragers), hunters, and fishers, these colonists and their descendants gradually multiplied, particularly as they invented more advanced watercraft. By 9,000 years ago, small-scale farming had spread throughout the Solomon Islands. Between 4,000 and 2,000 years ago, large parts of Micronesia and Polynesia were settled, and by ad 1200 nearly the entire region had been navigated. Watercraft included paddle-driven rafts and dugouts, double canoes, and large outrigger canoes powered by triangular sails. Most of these early Polynesians and Micronesians were highly skilled sailors able to navigate for thousands of miles by reading the stars, sun, ocean swells, and winds.
Ancient Oceania had several distinct cultures and lifestyles. For example, religious practices and beliefs varied among different groups. Also, political power was divided between men and women in various ways, and different societies had differing rules for how land, wealth, and magical abilities were supposed to be inherited. Relationships with neighbors also varied greatly. As in Europe, Asia, and elsewhere, neighbors sometimes traded with one another and sometimes fought wars. Revenge killings and headhunting were also known in some areas. Oceania was not a paradise, as some Europeans and Americans would later assume. Yet neither was it a realm of perpetual anarchy and savage bloodlust, despite the horrid tales later told by European missionariestales that were sometimes based on eyewitness accounts.
Oceania changed rapidly in the 1800s when Europeans established colonies there and pressured islanders to accept their styles of government and religion. On the positive side, Europeans claimed to have ended local warfare and headhunting. They also introduced helpful tools, crops, and domesticated animals. On the negative side, Europeans brought new diseases and weapons that caused the loss of many lives. They also damaged or destroyed numerous cultural traditions, disrupted trade networks, and, in some instances, forced islanders into virtual slavery.
The work of European missionaries in Oceania has also been controversial. Many islanders have described the spread of Christianity as a blessing. Others, however, lament the loss of native culture, including the neglect of traditional religious sites, the loss of ceremonial ties and group unity, and, on some islands, the requirement that layers of clothing be worn in the hot climateeven while playing in the ocean surf.
Europeans also introduced money and the desire for it where none existed before. Taxes were required from some islanders. Also, many parents wanted their children to have a European-style education so they could adjust more easily to the economic and social changes brought by Europeans. Villagers built schools but had to raise money to buy the concrete, tin roofs, and other materials. Books and supplies also had to be bought and teachers paid. In order to raise money, they had to sell exportable products. Copra was the first major product to fill this role, and in many places it remains the largest export.
During World War II Oceania experienced destruction on a scale never witnessed there before. Japanese and American forces fought major battles on such islands as Guam and Chuuk (Truk) in Micronesia, Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, Oahu in Hawaii, and Tarawa in Kiribati. Even islands not in the line of fire were affected by troop placements, food shortages, and disrupted trade.
Economic developments occurred rapidly after World War II. Many villagers began to desire the kinds of consumer goods available only from distant countries. Seeking cash incomes, they left their villages for places of greater opportunitycities in the islands as well as overseas. They often suffered hardships abroad, including long hours and harsh conditions for low pay. But the money they sent home from New Zealand, the United States (particularly Hawaii and California), and elsewhere became a major source of local income. Meanwhile, increasing numbers of traders, tourists, and Christian missionaries arrived. Some villages grew into towns and cities, supporting a new bureaucracy. Traditional social life declined.
Until the 1990s nuclear bombs were tested on several Polynesian islands, including the United Statescontrolled Bikini and Johnston and the French Polynesian Mururoa and Fangataufa. Johnston was used for chemical weapons storage and incineration until 2000, despite numerous protests. Some United States islands are still used as missile testing sites.
Interactive
In the early 21st century, many Oceanian societies sought to increase income from international tourism and a variety of other sources, including the sale of fishing contracts, mineral rights, stamps, and Internet domain names. As trade increased, however, so did fears that the small economies of Oceania could be overwhelmed by global economic forces. One of the greatest concerns facing the region was global warming. Even slight changes in sea temperature could increase the frequency of typhoons, and rising sea levels could completely submerge some islands and devastate coral reefs.
Ward Barrett
Stephen P. Davis
Colbert, Evelyn. The Pacific Islands: Paths to the Present (Westview, 1997).Crocombe, Ron. The South Pacific (Univ. South Pacific, 2001).Denoon, Donald, ed. The Cambridge History of the Pacific Islanders (Cambridge Univ. Press, 1997).Douglas, Norman, and Douglas, Ngaire, eds. Pacific Islands Yearbook, 17th ed. (Fiji Times,1994).Rapaport, Moshe, ed. The Pacific Islands: Environment and Society (Bess Press, 1999).Theroux, Paul. The Happy Isles of Oceania (G.P. Putnams Sons, 1992).
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Caesars Sportsbook promo code: MLB Opening Day, NBA first bet offer …
Posted: at 1:29 am
Caesars has unleashed its well-known triple bonus registration bonus for anyone joining the sportsbooks ranks today. A Caesars Sportsbook promo code activates this generous offer, which begins with a $1,250 first bet on Caesars.
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The $1,250 first bet on Caesars is valid in any sports market using any of various wager types. For example, you could deploy it on tonights NBA/NHL, tomorrows MLB Opening Day, Saturdays Final Four, or whatever else catches your eye. Additionally, you could make your pick a moneyline, spread, total, prop bet, or one of numerous other options. If your first bet wins, Caesars pays you out in full with withdrawable cash. On the other hand, if the pick loses, you receive a full refund up to $1,250 via a bonus bet. As a result, you get to bet your full original amount all over again with no additional investment on your end.
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Teams have less than 10 games left to play in the NBA regular season. Therefore, each outing is of heightened importance. Here are some of tonights matchups and why they are important. Any aspect of any of these is certainly valid to your first bet on Caesars on from our Caesars Sportsbook promo code:
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Google – Apps on Google Play
Posted: at 1:27 am
The Google app keeps you in the know about things that matter to you. Find quick answers, explore your interests, and stay up to date with Discover. The more you use the Google app, the better it gets.
Search and browse:- Nearby shops and restaurants- Live sports scores and schedules- Movies times, casts, and reviews- Videos and images- News, stock information, and more- Anything youd find on the web
Get personalized updates in Discover*:- Stay in the know about topics that interest you- Start your morning with weather and top news- Get updates on sports, movies, and events- Know as soon as your favorite artists drop new albums- Get stories about your interests and hobbies- Follow interesting topics, right from Search results
Unstable connection?- Google will automatically optimize results to improve loading on bad connections- If Google cannot complete a Search, youll get a notification with the search results once you regain connection
Learn more about what the Google app can do for you: http://www.google.com/search/aboutFor users of some Wear devices, the Google Assistant features on your watch are also provided by the Google app*some features of Discover might not be available in all countries
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Google is set to launch Pixel 7a and in India it should avoid the mistake it made with Pixel 6a – India Today
Posted: at 1:27 am
Google is set to launch Pixel 7a and in India it should avoid the mistake it made with Pixel 6a India Today
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The Complete History And Future of Robots | WIRED
Posted: at 1:24 am
Modern robots are not unlike toddlers: Its hilarious to watch them fall over, but deep down we know that if we laugh too hard, they might develop a complex and grow up to start World War III. None of humanitys creations inspires such a confusing mix of awe, admiration, and fear: We want robots to make our lives easier and safer, yet we cant quite bring ourselves to trust them. Were crafting them in our own image, yet we are terrified theyll supplant us.
But that trepidation is no obstacle to the booming field of robotics. Robots have finally grown smart enough and physically capable enough to make their way out of factories and labs to walk and roll and even leap among us. The machines have arrived.
You may be worried a robot is going to steal your job, and we get that. This is capitalism, after all, and automation is inevitable. But you may be more likely to work alongside a robot in the near future than have one replace you. And even better news: Youre more likely to make friends with a robot than have one murder you. Hooray for the future!
The History of Robots
The definition of robot has been confusing from the very beginning. The word first appeared in 1921, in Karel Capeks play R.U.R., or Rossum's Universal Robots. Robot comes from the Czech for forced labor. These robots were robots more in spirit than form, though. They looked like humans, and instead of being made of metal, they were made of chemical batter. The robots were far more efficient than their human counterparts, and also way more murder-ythey ended up going on a killing spree.
R.U.R. would establish the trope of the Not-to-Be-Trusted Machine (e.g., Terminator, The Stepford Wives, Blade Runner, etc.) that continues to this daywhich is not to say pop culture hasnt embraced friendlier robots. Think Rosie from The Jetsons. (Ornery, sure, but certainly not homicidal.) And it doesnt get much family-friendlier than Robin Williams as Bicentennial Man.
The real-world definition of robot is just as slippery as those fictional depictions. Ask 10 roboticists and youll get 10 answershow autonomous does it need to be, for instance. But they do agree on some general guidelines: A robot is an intelligent, physically embodied machine. A robot can perform tasks autonomously to some degree. And a robot can sense and manipulate its environment.
Think of a simple drone that you pilot around. Thats no robot. But give a drone the power to take off and land on its own and sense objects and suddenly its a lot more robot-ish. Its the intelligence and sensing and autonomy thats key.
But it wasnt until the 1960s that a company built something that started meeting those guidelines. Thats when SRI International in Silicon Valley developed Shakey, the first truly mobile and perceptive robot. This tower on wheels was well-namedawkward, slow, twitchy. Equipped with a camera and bump sensors, Shakey could navigate a complex environment. It wasnt a particularly confident-looking machine, but it was the beginning of the robotic revolution.
Around the time Shakey was trembling about, robot arms were beginning to transform manufacturing. The first among them was Unimate, which welded auto bodies. Today, its descendants rule car factories, performing tedious, dangerous tasks with far more precision and speed than any human could muster. Even though theyre stuck in place, they still very much fit our definition of a robottheyre intelligent machines that sense and manipulate their environment.
Robots, though, remained largely confined to factories and labs, where they either rolled about or were stuck in place lifting objects. Then, in the mid-1980s Honda started up a humanoid robotics program. It developed P3, which could walk pretty darn good and also wave and shake hands, much to the delight of a roomful of suits. The work would culminate in Asimo, the famed biped, which once tried to take out President Obama with a well-kicked soccer ball. (OK, perhaps it was more innocent than that.)
Today, advanced robots are popping up everywhere. For that you can thank three technologies in particular: sensors, actuators, and AI.
So, sensors. Machines that roll on sidewalks to deliver falafel can only navigate our world thanks in large part to the 2004 Darpa Grand Challenge, in which teams of roboticists cobbled together self-driving cars to race through the desert. Their secret? Lidar, which shoots out lasers to build a 3-D map of the world. The ensuing private-sector race to develop self-driving cars has dramatically driven down the price of lidar, to the point that engineers can create perceptive robots on the (relative) cheap.
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Donald Trump indicted by Manhattan grand jury on more than 30 counts related to business fraud – CNN
Posted: at 1:23 am
- Donald Trump indicted by Manhattan grand jury on more than 30 counts related to business fraud CNN
- Donald Trump Indicted: 5 Facts On Case Involving Porn Star Stormy Daniels NDTV.com
- Trump criminally charged in New York, a first for a US ex-president Reuters
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MAKING HISTORY: 80-member team named for the CARIFTA Games
Posted: at 1:22 am
By TENAJH SWEETING
The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA) announced an 80-member CARIFTA team for the first time in history yesterday at Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.
After a highly competitive CARIFTA trials combined with the Bahamas National High School Track and Field championships this past weekend, many were anticipating the announcement of Team Bahamas CARIFTA athletes.
This years CARIFTA team will not only feature 80 members for the first time in Bahamian history but will also include the largest contingent of Family Island representatives.
Drumeco Archer, president of the BAAA, said the selection process is always emotional and tension-filled as athletes always want to represent their country at the CARIFTA Games.
He added that the selection process wrapped up at 3am yesterday after the executive committee spent hours going through the names and stats, not only locally but throughout the region.
Although the selection process was difficult within good reason, officials are confident that this years CARIFTA team will bring home gold at the countrys 50th CARIFTA Games.
Team Bahamas under 17 girls will include Jamiah Nabbie, Shayann Demeritte, Darvinique Dean, Tamia Taylor, Akaree Roberts, Bayli Major, Erin Barr, Madison Moss, Grace Komolafe, Tylah Pratt, Zoe Adderley, Terrell McCoy, Danielle Nixon, Kennise Scavella, Kamera Strachan, and Dior-Rae Scott.
The under 17 boys will feature Andrew Brown, Ishmael Rolle, Cayden Smith, Eagan Neely, Zion Shepherd, Tyrone Conliffe, Zion Hendfield, Ross Martin, Christopher Williams-Martin, Kenny Moxey Jr., Quinton Rolle, Zion Davis, Joshua Williams, Erris Pratt, Demian Brice II, Rubin Bain, Jalen Stuart, and Larouche Morley. The relay pool will include Javano Bridgewater, and Trent Ford.
Notably missing from this years under 17 girls team is Bishop Michael Eldons Keyezra Thomas, who dominated her competitors in the under 14 girls 100m and 200m race.
Despite the 13-year-old being dominant on the track, she is too young to compete at Aprils 50th CARIFTA Games but will look to qualify in 2024.
With a number of officials being impressed with her efforts as a young athlete, Archer said although it can hurt athletes to miss out on the CARIFTA Games, they always come back more aggressively the next time by using it as a motivation to get onto the team the next time around. The 2023 Team Bahamas under 20 girls are Shatalya Dorsett, Amari Pratt, Lacarthea Cooper, Javonya Valcourt, Treasure Burrows, Jasmine Mackey, Akaya Lightbourne, Koi Adderley, Apryl Adderley, Lanaisha Lubin, Annae Mackey, Calea Jackson, Cailyn Johnson, GShan Brown, Vanessa Sawyer, and Essence Sands. The relay pool has Quincy Penn, Nya Wright, and Melvinique Gibson.
The under 20 boys are Carlos Brown, Adam Musgrove, Zachary Evans, Clinton Laguerre, Philip Gray, Raywind Winder, Christopher Saintus, Otto Laing, Tayshaun Robinson, Shimar Bain, Mateo Smith, Johnathan Rodgers, Laquan Ellis, Robert Deal, Nathaniel McCardy, Kaden Cartwright, Brenden Vanderpool, Tyler Cash, Lavardo Deveaux, and Reanno Todd. The under 20 boys relay pool will include Johnathan Fowler, Zion Campbell, Berkley Munnings, Tumani Skinner, and Jeremiah Adderley.
Team Bahamas 2023 CARIFTA team will be under the supervision of eight coaches, three managers, and five chaperons. Team managers are Pharez Cooper, Mildred Adderley, and Sophia Higgs. Head coach of the team will be John Ingraham. He will be assisted by Noel Pratt, Earl Rahming, Rachante Colebrooke, Patricia Rolle, Keno Demeritte, Andrew Tynes, and Alexis Roberts.
Although 80 athletes may seem like a lot to handle, team leader Pharez Cooper talked about the plan to manage athletes for Oaktree Medical Centers 50th CARIFTA games.
We have coaches for jumps, sprints, hurdles [and] whatever discipline that the athletes are apart of, Cooper said.
He added that the coaches will be directly responsible for those athletes during the day of at the track and that chaperons were strategically picked with the mindsets of having to manage a large team due to their experience with other teams.
With the 50th edition of Aprils CARIFTA games now eight days away athletes will prep to stay at the CARIFTA village at Superclub Breezes on April 6.
This years game will feature more than 600 athletes from 28 countries competing on April 7-10.
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