Playing Computer Games: is it Really Addictive?

A few years back, computer games became a hit all over the world especially among kids and teenagers. Instead of playing tag or any kinds of sports outside with the sun?s rays shining down on their healthy and tan bodies, youngsters now prefer to stay inside the house, slouched on a couch while playing computer games. Sometimes, children do not want to go outside and interact with ?real people? and neglect their families, studies or jobs because they are too busy with their ?virtual? lives. They do not want to be disturbed most of the time and they tend to hide inside their virtual shell. They are irritable and they shrink their duties. Can this be called computer games addiction?
There are debates going on about computer games addiction. Despite researches about the topic, it is not yet clear whether it is a psychological disorder or not. Some experts say that playing computer games could make one addicted to it but right now, it is not considered as a mental disorder. However, there is a possibility that it may be considered as a mental disorder come year 2012.
Being addicted to computer games is the same as being addicted to other things such as alcohol or drugs. It could also be compared to compulsive gambling. However, addiction to computer games is much more related to youngsters than other kinds of addiction.
Last year of April, a survey was conducted and it found out that around 8.5% of the children and teens that play computer games are already ?clinically addicted? to computer games.
Computer games that are especially addictive are the ?massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs).
Why are these computer games addictive? There are things that motivate a person to play computer games. Playing computer games is not just about fun, emotional reasons could also affect it such as rewards, freedom, and interaction with other players. In real life, we have problems and most of the time we cannot do anything about them. In virtual life, we can control our lives and when we commit mistakes or die we can have another shot at it and try again.
You can check if a person is addicted to computer games by observing their behaviour. Like what was mentioned previously, people who are addicted to computer games tend to withdraw socially. They are sulky and they feel depressed. If these behaviours harm their relationship with other people, then you should be alarmed.
Moreover, they are giving very little attention to, if at all, their responsibilities like studies and homework for students and job for employees and businessmen. People who are addicted to computer games also tend to lie more. They also cannot refrain from playing computer games even if they feel very tired and unhealthy. There are also physical signs that say if a person is addicted to computer such as very dry eyes, headaches, loss of appetite, disregard personal hygiene and overall physical condition.

Coin Collecting – What To Do And What Not To Do

It takes a considerable amount of time to learn the art of coin collecting. It is very important to remember that you should coin collect for all the right reasons. It should be your passion, only then will it be worth pursuing.
If you intend on collecting for profit, it might work for the time being, but it will not work for long. This is an important factor to consider, as there are many people who have collected coins for this very reason and have met with colossal failure.
If you wish to be a successful coin collector, you need to take out enough time to learn all that there is to know regarding numismatics. You can get loads of information from sources such as newsletters, magazines as well as brokers who can convey news and information as it happens. If you use your resources correctly, you will have enough time and expertise to act fast and beat the other collectors who are after the same thing. Getting your information on time is very important.
If you are not well versed with the basics, chances are you will not get very far with this hobby.
Knowledge on coin grading is essential to collector who needs to know the real value of a particular collection. This knowledge is especially useful when the collector wishes to trade something for a greater value. It can also prevent wastage of money and scamming for things of lower value. Vigilance is the keyword here.
Patience is one virtue that coin collecting imbibes in all collectors as, sometimes, it takes many years to complete a collection. Many of the reputed collectors in today’s world have waited many years before reaping any benefits.
It is very important to learn how to see and think like a collector. It is not a good idea to be too eager in the initial stages as this can tempt the collector into buying the the wrong coin which can cause immense loss. Always think twice before using any information that is given to you regardless of what the source of information is.
Beginners at coin collection will find it a little difficult in the initial stages. It is likely that the person will not be able to afford items that cost more than around $10,000. Therefore, the best course of action would be to start small and simultaneously study the market attentively for five to six months before getting comfortable about the bigger prizes.
Sports and coin collecting have a lot in common- it takes patience and hard work to excel at it and long and short terms need to be established in order to achieve anything. By using one’s common sense and following the rules, one can become a very successful coin collector who knows the trade well.

Hogs Behind the Hedge- The Origin of Sonic the Hedgehog

He is a little blue fur-ball with lightning fast speed.

Anyone remotely familiar with video games, comics, and the very best in children’s entertainment, knows instantly to whom the description above refers.

But did you know Sonic the Hedgehog is now 18 years old? If you grew up on Sonic, you probably do not care to admit that, but it is true.

Sonic the Hedgehog debuted in June of 1991, for the Sega Master System. If you are a passing or even moderately intense gamer, you probably remember him from the more advanced 16-bit Sega Genesis System, but in reality, Sonic was introduced as the last new game for the original 8-bit Master.

And before he finally did make his debut on the Sega Genesis, a second Sonic the Hedgehog game launched prior to it. The Sega Game Gear was a color handheld console, the third of its kind following on the heels of Atari’s Lynx and the short-lived Turbo Express. It was an answer to Nintendo’s Game Boy, which had contributed to keeping Nintendo a name synonymous with quality video game entertainment.

Something else that distinguished Nintendo from its competition was its trademark character. Nintendo had branded itself with the Mario character, a previously established secondary player in the Donkey Kong saga, until Nintendo’s side-scroll 8-bit breakout hit Super Mario Bros. took him to new heights. It was amazing what gamers would buy in to. Mario was an overweight Italian plumber with a nearly identical brother, Luigi, who helped him fight against the evil King Bowser in the Mushroom Kingdom.

Sega needed an answer. Someone (or something) the company could stand behind and forge a relationship of instant identity. Sonic the Hedgehog gave the company just what it needed. With its six worlds and eighteen screens, Sonic was off to a great start. Collecting the Chaos Emeralds and doing battle with the evil Dr. Robotnik set the stage for an even faster-paced, more furious adventure when for the more advanced 16-bit system.

Sonic was a dynamo from the very beginning, with his abilities to break the speed of sound and transform himself into a furry blue circular saw in order to combat his enemies. Featuring attributes of a 15-year old boy, he was an empowering figure with abilities unique in the world of video games. Dazzling to the eye and groundbreaking to the industry, Sega Master System owners already had a hint of what was to come when they first took the controls on the little blue bomber.

While Sonic’s origins are slightly obscured by the community effort involved in his creation, most generally agree that artist Naoto Ōshima, designer Hirokazu Yasuhara and programmer Yuji Naka are primarily responsible.

Regardless of where the idea came from, or who was responsible for bringing it about, Sonic the Hedgehog is a prime example of a creation overshadowing its creator(s). Like the times in which he was born into and the ones in which you now live, Sonic the Hedgehog’s success shows no signs of slowing down, and will continue to break down the barriers of adventure for young and old alike.

Musical Themed Paintings

Musical themed paintings can be fun to find and fun to buy.  I have a musician friend that recently purchased a new home.  She bought new furnishings and asked me to find a new painting for her.  I found her a fabulous creation by Osnat.  It was an enormous, gallery size painting.
My friend’s new furnishings were very contemporary and the Osnat musical themed painting I bought for her was breathtaking when all five parts were mounted.  The musical staff ran the length of the painting with musical notes painted on it.  The painting had pretty shades of yellows and oranges.  It looked so elegant.
I found a still life musical themed painting of a guitar to buy for a friend.  He always has had beautiful pieces of art in his home and he wanted to change some of the pieces he had grown tired of.  The abstract piece that I found really struck a cord with my friend and he ended up buying another painting from the same artist.
I found a painting that was called Music of Fire that didn’t really seem to have a musical theme.  I showed it to a friend and she told me that the flames looked like they were dancing.  She told me that I was using a very narrow definition of musical themed paintings when I was buying art.
Abstract guitars really seem to be my favorite musical themed paintings.  I like to buy them when they jump out at me.  There is an artist named Slazo that is very prolific with his musical themed guitar paintings.  He has had a lot of exhibitions in Florida.
A friend of mine asked me to find artwork by an Armenian named Aram Koupetzian.  I was able to find a musical themed painting called Rondo by this artist.  It was really intriguing.  I’ve never purchased a painting in the Cubist style before.  The exact style of this musical themed painting was Synthetic Cubism.  I liked it a lot.  There is a lot to look at in the painting.
A couple of years ago, a good friend of mine graduated from the University of Texas in Austin with a degree.  He had a double major of music and education.  He got a job as an assistant band director at a middle school in Austin.  As a combination graduation and new job present, I bought him a musical themed painting.
The musical themed painting that I chose was painting by Tilo Rothacker that depicted a jazz musician playing a trumpet.  It was so very colorful and it felt a lot like New Orleans.  My friend and I had visited the French Quarter several times together.  This musical themed painting celebrated his life changes and our friendship perfectly.
My younger sister is quite the accomplished violinist.  She moved to New York and went to Juilliard.  Her path changed after a couple of years in New York.  She stopped pursuing the violin as a career, but her love for her music never waned.  I bought her a musical themed painting when she bought her apartment.  It was a contemporary abstract with brilliant rich jewel tones that depicted a woman violinist.
I was looking for musical themed paintings one day when I found Melody of Sunset for sale.  I’m not sure why this painting bothered me so much.  The woman was playing the piano, but she seems disembodied and strange.  Her eyes were closed.  This musical themed painting just did not strike a cord with me and I did not buy it.
My favorite musical themed painting in a long time was The Sound of Jazz.  It was painted by Sarah Kinan and it is gorgeous.  It is hard for me to not smile when I’m looking into this painting.  The background looks like confetti and the foreground is filled with musical instruments.  This musical themed painting can be described as feeling like a party.

The Significance of Byzantine Gold Coins

Have you ever heard the colloquialism “setting up Constantinople”? If you haven’t, you’re not alone. This phrase referred to creating a successful home base for a business. It isn’t used much anymore because most people are not familiar enough with Constantinople, the legendary capital of the Byzantine Empire of the Middle Ages as they once were. This is a shame… the Byzantine Empire was a very powerful, yet mostly benign empire that created stability to Europe in a time known for its lawlessness and instability. The Byzantine Empire is responsible for many great things, especially the establishment of a currency system. Today, when our currency is created more for function than form, it is hard not to pay homage to the beautifully designed coins of the Byzantine Era.

The look of the Byzantine gold coin was taken from the gold coins of the Roman Empire. The Romans put a lot of artistry into their coins, but the Byzantines took it even farther when they designed their uniquely brilliant coins. Even today there is a lot of interest in collecting reproductions of these fabulous coins. These coins were originally referred to as “histamenon nomisma” and are among the most sought after coins in collectors’ circles.

There is also historical significance connected to these lovely coins. They were the first coins to depict the face of Jesus Christ on them. Incredibly rare, reproductions sell out fast, although the interest in original coins of this nature is extremely high. The majority of those originals that remain have only recently been unearthed in Middle Eastern excavations.

Designed in the shape of a “C,” the odd design does not detract a bit from the beauty of the coin. It actually improves their look. One side shows the face of Jesus Christ, while the other has the image of the Byzantine Emperor. This is thought to have created the impression that the law was governed by both the divine and secular orders. We can learn a lot of the ideologies and conventional wisdom during the Byzantine Empire. This is what makes these coins so highly collectible. Just being able to examine one of these coins is an experience.

To many it comes as a surprise that the Byzantines also made the first commemorative coins. To honor members of the Byzantine military, a series of coins were minted to honor specific battles. Many other cultures followed this lead and minted their own commemorative coins.

What helps to stimulate the interest is the uniqueness of the coin combined with scarcity. This description fits the Byzantine coins perfectly and it’s what makes them highly collectible as well.