Grand theft algorithm: purposeful play, appropriated play and aberrant players

"Copyright ACM, 2008. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of ACM for your personal use. Not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in MindTrek: Proceedings of the 12th international conference on Entertainment and media in the ubiquitous era. pp.3-7 http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1457199.1457201"This paper explores ideas about 'appropriated play' within computer games. It identifies different forms of 'purposeful' and 'aberrant' playing and proposes a model of players' motivations. This will enable a discussion about the experience of games players who resist the norms of 'purposeful' or ludic play, while finding reward in their explorations of game possibilities. It provides a new vocabulary for discussing playing outside of the game world, as a way of understanding some of these actions as more than 'cheating'

Does environmental flow speed affect the local relative abundance of Vorticella convallaria?

Vorticella convallaria are microscopic sessile suspension feeders which live attached to substrates and are ubiquitous in aquatic environments. They depend on a self-generated current to feed and help maintain the health of aquatic ecosystems by consuming bacteria and detritus. As highly prevalent filter feeders, they serve as biological indicators of ecosystem health and are heavily involved in nutrient and carbon cycling. Furthermore, they are essential to wastewater treatment and benefit bioremediation efforts. However, the conditions in which they collectively thrive and feed most effectively are not well known. We exposed organisms to a circulating flume containing four distinct unidirectional flow regimes of different speeds. Initial results suggest that organisms are significantly more abundant in the slow speeds, in which they are less pushed over and may feed more effectively. Vorticella remained more abundant in the slowest flow speed over time, and became more abundant when the order of flow regimes was reversed (transforming a fast flow regime into one with a slower speed), indicative of selective preference

Blowtooth: pervasive gaming in unique and challenging environments

This paper describes Blowtooth, a Bluetooth implemented pervasive game where players smuggle virtual drugs through real airport security with the help of unknowing bystanders. The game explores the nature of pervasive game playing in environments that are not generally regarded as playful or “fun,” and where people are subject to particularly high levels of intrusive surveillance and monitoring. Six participants who were travelling internationally within a two-week period were recruited to evaluate the game. Findings suggest that creating pervasive games that incorporate the unique features of their context as part of the game may provide enjoyable, novel and thought-provoking experiences for players

Forage Yield and Nutritive Quality of Haulm from Dual-Purpose Cowpea (\u3ci\u3eVigna unguiculata\u3c/i\u3e L Walp) Cultivars for Dry Season Feeding in Nigeria

The availability of high quality forage especially during the dry season remains a major challenge to ruminant livestock production in Nigeria and many parts of West Africa. Due to the prevailing mismatch between livestock population and supply of feed resources in the arid and semi arid Nigeria, the humid forest zone represents a potential source for crop residues, especially during the dry season due to longer rainfall duration and suitable climate. This study was conducted to evaluate forage yield and nutritive quality of haulm from selected dual purpose cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) cultivars in the humid rain forest zone of Nigeria. The forage and pod yields of twenty cultivars were evaluated in two cropping seasons of 2012 and 2013, in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Subsequently, five dual-purpose cultivars were selected based on forage and pod yields from previous trial, for determination of chemical and fibre compositions. The results revealed significant (p \u3c 0.05) differences in pod and forage yields among the twenty cowpea cultivars, with mean yields ranging from 0-1.5 t ha-1 and 0.1-4.5 t ha-1 for pod and forage respectively. The results also showed significant (p \u3c 0.05) differences in crude protein, ether extract, and non-fibre carbohydrates (NFC) contents amongst the five selected cultivars. The selected cultivars are recommended as dual-purpose cowpea for the zone. The result reveal wide implications for commercial production, processing and packaging of cowpea and other related forage crops for sale in Northern Nigeria where demand for dry season feedstuff outstrips supply. In addition, availability of feedstuff during the dry season is capable of promoting sedentarization of nomadic pastoralists and the attendant conflict associated with that system of livestock management

Semi-Micro Analysis of Tungsten

The growing use of tungsten in high speed steels and for electrical purposes makes it increasingly desirable to include this element in the scheme of analysis. Metallic tungsten is seldom if ever found in nature, but occurs in several well-crystallized tungsten minerals of which Scheelite, CaW04 , is typical. From its position in the periodic table, Group VI - Series 6, one should expect tungsten to have amphoteric properties. Although we are more familiar with tungsten in the metallic state, it almost invariably behaves as a non-metal in chemical combination. For this reason in analytical work tungsten naturally falls among the anions

Meissen Porcelain: Precision, Presentation, and Preservation. How Artistic and Technological Significance Influence Conservation Protocol

invention of Meissen porcelain and how these factors impact certain restoration and conservation protocol. The diversity and range of objects produced at the Meissen studio paired with the artistic genius of their design repositioned European ceramics as a superior craft form among its pottery-producing competitors. The ware\u27s enthusiastic reception amongst upper-class European society established the pieces as being highly-valued and prompted their widespread recognition. What resulted was an efflorescence of creativity, artistic and technical accomplishments, and an original aesthetic quality that initiated a new conceptual reframing of how ceramic media could be presented. Throughout the past three centuries, Meissen porcelain has continued to be coveted, collected, and exhibited. As a result, the work requires the aid of conservation science in order to preserve its cultural and material integrity.;For a body of work so steeped in precision, presentation, and material science, certain attributes that are crucial to Meissen porcelain\u27s identity must be taken into account prior to the assembly of an appropriate conservation protocol. By considering these factors, conservators, museum professionals, and historians are able to devise more informed and appropriate decisions involving the direction of a conservation route for an individual object. For the purposes of this argument, three case studies are observed: ceramic riveting, material substitution and/or object replacement, and a condition assessment of the Furstenzug mural in Dresden, Germany. All three situations present some of the most visually-intrusive and structurally-jeopardizing tactics pertaining to conservation methodologies. The historical, artistic, and technological attributes of Meissen porcelain are assessed in an attempt to devise proper treatment plans for all three case studies.;The purpose of this paper is not to discredit or undermine alternative porcelain media and the restorations applied to their framework. Instead, its objective is to bring an individuality to Meissen porcelain and the restorative processes applied in its conservation. This, in turn, contributes to and expands upon preexisting conservation methodologies involving the restoration of porcelain media. The main goal is to educate and inform art historians, museum professionals, and conservators alike about the particularities of specific clay media and the significance of their individual attributes within ceramic art

A Welsh Collection of Mendelssohniana: Letters at Aberystwyth

Evans, Todd, and Olsen review letters by great musicians held in the Hugh Owen Library of the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth