(CNN) -- Yes, we have Roger. Yes, we developed the "Bird's nest" Olympic stadium. But in Switzerland, the 2008 Summer Olympics are still far away -- and not just geographically.
For once, the Olympics are in second place.
Things will probably be different when the Olympics are almost upon us. But for the moment, the Swiss are focusing on another major sporting event taking place in 2008.
With its neighbour Austria, Switzerland is hosting the European football championship, Euro 2008.
Euro 2008 is the most important European sports event there is. It takes place in June, just two months before the Olympics. Switzerland has never hosted such a large-scale competition before. So it's Euro 2008 first, Olympics second.
Compared with other Olympic years, the Games aren't a big issue yet. Nobody doubts that this will change once the football is history.
The month of July will give weary sports fans (and sports journalists) time to recover. In August, everybody should be ready for the next big party, the Olympics.
But until then, we're taking one day at a time. The Summer Games play nothing like the same role in Switzerland as the Winter Games do. With Switzerland being an alpine country, winter sports are very popular.
The most important alpine downhill skiing races always get the best TV ratings of all sports events. When there are the races in Wengen around noon on Saturday or Sunday in the middle of January, Switzerland stands still.
In the Winter Games -- to be held next in Vancouver in 2010 -- Switzerland has medal hopes in every second or third competition, not just in downhill skiing, but also in bobsleigh, figure-skating and curling, to name just a few.
At the Summer Games, tiny Switzerland faces much greater competition, and medal hopes are scarcer. In any event, Switzerland is sure to bring two big stars to the Summer Games.
One of them is already there: the famous "Bird's nest," the all-new national stadium which will host the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the track and field competitions.
The "Bird's nest" was designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron. They won the Pritzker Prize, one of the most important awards in architecture, in 2001, and are well-known for their conversion of the Tate Modern in London.
Jacques Herzog and Pierre De Meuron were both born in Basel in 1950. Quick quiz: Which sportsman was born 31 years later in the same town? It's easy for the Swiss, but maybe not for everybody else. Did you guess Roger Federer? Correct!
The four-time World Sportsman of the Year has won nearly every title in tennis, except the French Open, the Davis Cup and an Olympic gold medal.
In Sydney in 2000, a young Federer lost the bronze medal to Frenchman Arnaud Di Pasquale. In Athens in 2004, an early loss against a then almost-unknown Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic came as a huge shock.
Roger Federer has stated on several occasions that the Summer Games are one of this year's main goals. It will be a tough summer for him, starting with the French Open, followed by Wimbledon, the Games and the US Open.
Can he win all four of them? If anyone can, he can -- although he faces tough competition, led by Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Lucky in love, unlucky at cards? Or is it the other way round? At the Olympic Games, Roger hasn't been too lucky on court. It's a different story off court, though. It was in Athens in 2000 that he met and fell in love with Mirka Vavrinec, who represented Switzerland in the women's tournament.
And did you know that Switzerland has its own Chinese gold medal winner? Gymnast Donghua Li left China in 1988 -- another sportsman to fall in love with a Swiss woman. He competed for his new country at Atlanta in 1996 and took home the gold medal in the pommel horse
Showing posts with label skill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label skill. Show all posts
Wednesday, 23 July 2008
Thursday, 17 July 2008
3D Animation in a nutshell: by Morph
If you have wandered onto this post, you probably have a general understanding of what 3D Animation is. It's difficult not to watch a movie that hasn't used 3D Animation in one way or another to produce stunning visual effects and highly engaging characters. You need only look at movies like King Kong and Transformers: The Movie to realize how far 3D Animation has progressed in such a short time. Knowing that, the objective of this post is to either reaffirm what you already know or have you questioning what you thought you knew about 3D Animation and it's ever developing industry.
Simply put, 3D Animation is just animation within a 3D environment. The length to which 3D Animation is used within that environment depends largely on what is required. As a not-so-newbie newbie to the 3D Animation industry, I have learnt a great deal of things about what I thought I knew about 3D Animation. First off, the field of 3D Animation covers a broad range of lesser fields, the main ones consisting of modeling, texturing, rigging, animation, dynamic simulation, scripting and rendering. Each field in itself deserves its own moment in the spotlight so I will keep this post on the topic of 3D Animation in a Nutshell and will talk about these fields in larger detail in later posts.
Because 3D Animation is so expansive and dynamic a field as technology makes it easier for artists to visualize their work, it's easy to become lost within the many lesser fields within itself. Luckily, most 3D Animation enthusiasts do not possess the ability to perfect all fields. For example, someone who is good at modeling and texturing, may not be as good at scripting and rigging. Likewise, a person who is capable at animation may not have lighting and rendering as a strength. Does this mean 3D Animation is too impossible a field to create a career out of? You could not be further from the truth concerning 3D Animation. Because it is always developing, 3D Animation has the benefit of enjoying growing appeal from more and more 3D Animation enthusiasts than ever before. With modelers turning into lighting TD's and animators becoming proficient at dynamics simulation and rigging, there are more than enough opportunities to learn and grow in the 3D Animation industry.
And that, my fellow readers, is the challenge of learning 3D Animation. With so many avenues to pursue and so many places to stop and learn new tools and skill sets, we are given the awesome opportunity to become whatever we want. In reality, this is the way a MMORPG should be played. A kid uses 40+ hours on his computer playing an online game that lets him level-up his character a few levels on a bad week, signing off at the end with nothing more to show for it than a few game props and typing cramp. I on the other hand, can invest 40+ hours of my time modeling a character that'll put that kid's avatar to shame. 3D Animation provides the applications and means for me to create a character as realistic as technologically possible. Thanks to 3D Animation, I might also choose to design props, be they weapons or vehicles which will have you wincing in pain or whining in jealousy. If I so choose, 3D Animation makes it possible for me to create an environment for my character that could hold it's own against that of the Crysis or Unreal in-game environments. I could also make a short animation for my character within this environment, all thanks to 3D Animation.
Now sure, a kid might still enjoy playing a game that contains all of these things and more, but heck, why would I waste my time in a game created by someone else, controlled by their own rules and regulated by their own standards when I have the ability to develop my own. Need I say more..? I hope not but just in case, doing this as well as so much more is all possible because of 3D Animation.
Simply put, 3D Animation is just animation within a 3D environment. The length to which 3D Animation is used within that environment depends largely on what is required. As a not-so-newbie newbie to the 3D Animation industry, I have learnt a great deal of things about what I thought I knew about 3D Animation. First off, the field of 3D Animation covers a broad range of lesser fields, the main ones consisting of modeling, texturing, rigging, animation, dynamic simulation, scripting and rendering. Each field in itself deserves its own moment in the spotlight so I will keep this post on the topic of 3D Animation in a Nutshell and will talk about these fields in larger detail in later posts.
Because 3D Animation is so expansive and dynamic a field as technology makes it easier for artists to visualize their work, it's easy to become lost within the many lesser fields within itself. Luckily, most 3D Animation enthusiasts do not possess the ability to perfect all fields. For example, someone who is good at modeling and texturing, may not be as good at scripting and rigging. Likewise, a person who is capable at animation may not have lighting and rendering as a strength. Does this mean 3D Animation is too impossible a field to create a career out of? You could not be further from the truth concerning 3D Animation. Because it is always developing, 3D Animation has the benefit of enjoying growing appeal from more and more 3D Animation enthusiasts than ever before. With modelers turning into lighting TD's and animators becoming proficient at dynamics simulation and rigging, there are more than enough opportunities to learn and grow in the 3D Animation industry.
And that, my fellow readers, is the challenge of learning 3D Animation. With so many avenues to pursue and so many places to stop and learn new tools and skill sets, we are given the awesome opportunity to become whatever we want. In reality, this is the way a MMORPG should be played. A kid uses 40+ hours on his computer playing an online game that lets him level-up his character a few levels on a bad week, signing off at the end with nothing more to show for it than a few game props and typing cramp. I on the other hand, can invest 40+ hours of my time modeling a character that'll put that kid's avatar to shame. 3D Animation provides the applications and means for me to create a character as realistic as technologically possible. Thanks to 3D Animation, I might also choose to design props, be they weapons or vehicles which will have you wincing in pain or whining in jealousy. If I so choose, 3D Animation makes it possible for me to create an environment for my character that could hold it's own against that of the Crysis or Unreal in-game environments. I could also make a short animation for my character within this environment, all thanks to 3D Animation.
Now sure, a kid might still enjoy playing a game that contains all of these things and more, but heck, why would I waste my time in a game created by someone else, controlled by their own rules and regulated by their own standards when I have the ability to develop my own. Need I say more..? I hope not but just in case, doing this as well as so much more is all possible because of 3D Animation.
Conflict Negotiation Strategies: by Jonathon Blocker
Negotiations are the key to reaching agreement in a conflict situation. Without the proper training, it can be very difficult to reach a satisfactory agreement with your counterpart in a tense negotiation setting. This is why many successful companies choose to utilize expert negotiation training seminars. negotiation courses, tailored to your particular line of business as well as the specific types of negotiations you face in your typical business dealings, are invaluable both for gaining new skills and in helping you succeed in future deals.
Conflict arises because you and the other party in a business deal have differing opinions about what solution is the best outcome for a particular situation. It might be the wording of a contract, or the terms of a sale. No matter what the conflict might be, negotiating can be an effective means for both parties to come to an agreeable compromise.
One of the most important skills a negotiator will learn in training is formulating a clear objective of what to expect from the process of negotiating. This must be kept at the forefront for the other steps you will take in preparing for your conflict negotiation. Knowing what the objective is then allows you to consider modifications that could be made to your terms and still allow you to achieve your objective. This is invaluable in helping to provide solutions so that you and your negotiator counterpart can come to a reasonable solution. Knowing what your objective is also gives you a starting place to determine what the benchmark will be for the minimum terms acceptable for reaching an agreement on the issue.
Conflict negotiation training also provides the negotiator with a variety of strategies that can be used to bring the negotiations to a successful resolution. One excellent strategy is to be an effective listener. Truly hearing what the other parties in negotiations have to say will allow you to better understand what they seek as terms in the conflict. Knowing this, you can frame alternatives that you offer in such a way so that it appeals to them on as many levels as possible, and thus they will be more likely to agree to your terms. You can also gain clarity on your counterpart's positions by asking them questions. Their answers will provide useful information that can help you modify or change your positions' wording, showing them how it will be of benefit to them, while not backing down on your ultimate objectives.
You can also achieve a successful conflict negotiation by first beginning to reach an agreement on some small issues. Once you have some agreement, begin to build on this. By doing so, it may help you to achieve the ultimate resolution that you desire.
Conflict arises because you and the other party in a business deal have differing opinions about what solution is the best outcome for a particular situation. It might be the wording of a contract, or the terms of a sale. No matter what the conflict might be, negotiating can be an effective means for both parties to come to an agreeable compromise.
One of the most important skills a negotiator will learn in training is formulating a clear objective of what to expect from the process of negotiating. This must be kept at the forefront for the other steps you will take in preparing for your conflict negotiation. Knowing what the objective is then allows you to consider modifications that could be made to your terms and still allow you to achieve your objective. This is invaluable in helping to provide solutions so that you and your negotiator counterpart can come to a reasonable solution. Knowing what your objective is also gives you a starting place to determine what the benchmark will be for the minimum terms acceptable for reaching an agreement on the issue.
Conflict negotiation training also provides the negotiator with a variety of strategies that can be used to bring the negotiations to a successful resolution. One excellent strategy is to be an effective listener. Truly hearing what the other parties in negotiations have to say will allow you to better understand what they seek as terms in the conflict. Knowing this, you can frame alternatives that you offer in such a way so that it appeals to them on as many levels as possible, and thus they will be more likely to agree to your terms. You can also gain clarity on your counterpart's positions by asking them questions. Their answers will provide useful information that can help you modify or change your positions' wording, showing them how it will be of benefit to them, while not backing down on your ultimate objectives.
You can also achieve a successful conflict negotiation by first beginning to reach an agreement on some small issues. Once you have some agreement, begin to build on this. By doing so, it may help you to achieve the ultimate resolution that you desire.
Wednesday, 16 July 2008
Perfumes Enhance the Beauty and Style
Perfumes are the most sought-after fashionable items that add fragrance and beauty to everyone's life. As a result, choosing the right kind of perfume requires skill and homework. Men and women, young and old, rich and poor all want perfumes of different designs and fragrances. The use of perfumes as a symbol of elegance and style revealed dates back when Egyptians and Romans extensively used various types of perfumes in many ways. Earlier aromatic grasses, wood and spices like cinnamon, cardamoms and fenugreek were squeezed into fluid to produce perfume. Now with the introduction of newer technologies; the process of making perfumes has changed a lot as manufacturers are using man made ingredients to make them cheaper and faster.
Initially, perfumes were used by women. Now the world is getting fashionable and even men love to keep themselves trendy and appealing. Considering the development, manufacturers have created as many male versions of perfumes as female ones. Some of the famous brands of perfume ruling the market include Dolce and Gabbana, Hugo Boss, Jean Paul Gaultier, Tommy Hilfiger, and Weekend and many others. Each perfume can refresh your mind and assists you to attract the opposite sex. It is a fragrance that is very well suited for wearing during the day and to the office.
How to avail the right kind of perfume from the market? This is the most difficult question to be solved. Recently with the coming up of online boutiques, the search for the luring and scented perfume is not a hard nut to crack. In fact, online stores supply the widest collections of branded perfumes at competitive prices. All you need to do is to find a store that offers these excellent perfumes at knock down prices and you will easily become the most sought-after person in your locality in terms of elegance and style.
Initially, perfumes were used by women. Now the world is getting fashionable and even men love to keep themselves trendy and appealing. Considering the development, manufacturers have created as many male versions of perfumes as female ones. Some of the famous brands of perfume ruling the market include Dolce and Gabbana, Hugo Boss, Jean Paul Gaultier, Tommy Hilfiger, and Weekend and many others. Each perfume can refresh your mind and assists you to attract the opposite sex. It is a fragrance that is very well suited for wearing during the day and to the office.
How to avail the right kind of perfume from the market? This is the most difficult question to be solved. Recently with the coming up of online boutiques, the search for the luring and scented perfume is not a hard nut to crack. In fact, online stores supply the widest collections of branded perfumes at competitive prices. All you need to do is to find a store that offers these excellent perfumes at knock down prices and you will easily become the most sought-after person in your locality in terms of elegance and style.
A few basic tips to improve your chess game
If you are like me you enjoy playing chess but hate losing more often than you win. For me at least, winning often seemed more of an accident than skill. Well, having many hours of trial and error, studying moves my opponents made, looking at what I was doing, etc. I came up with a few basic ideas on how to improve my playing skills.
In the beginning, there was the middle
The first moves of the game are essential to your strategy. They can also be the hardest to decide. From my experience, I have found that controlling the middle of the board is a good way to start. Whether the game takes place on the left side of the board or the right, taking control of the middle will allow you to be ready and in control of how the game pans out. Put your pieces in the middle, protect them as best you can, and gain a better feeling of control.
Pushing past the defenses
Once the game is a few moves in, it is time to start the push to kill the king. Chasing the king around with a single piece only to put it into a place where it is little use is not a good idea. However, a single piece can be extremely powerful in the right place. Look at the chess board. Divide it in half so your pieces are on one side and your opponent's are on the other. Try to get one of your pieces past that middle line in a place where it is well protected. By getting your piece firmly in your opponent's territory you are hindering how and where they can move, making it easier
The King can be more than a weakness
The King, as you know, is what decides a win or loss in chess. Generally it is a good idea to keep him protected. Placing a few pawns in front of him is a good defense and will buy you more time to take your opponent's King. However, when there are fewer pieces on the board, the king can be used to influence and threaten pieces. Send it past your pawns and and you can influence how your opponent moves his pieces. It is a bit more risky, but can win games.
I can't write an entire book on chess strategies in this article, but hopefully these few basic tips will help you out some. If you do want something longer to teach you how to become a better chess player, go to http://kudu02.bestnet05.hop.clickbank.net/
In the beginning, there was the middle
The first moves of the game are essential to your strategy. They can also be the hardest to decide. From my experience, I have found that controlling the middle of the board is a good way to start. Whether the game takes place on the left side of the board or the right, taking control of the middle will allow you to be ready and in control of how the game pans out. Put your pieces in the middle, protect them as best you can, and gain a better feeling of control.
Pushing past the defenses
Once the game is a few moves in, it is time to start the push to kill the king. Chasing the king around with a single piece only to put it into a place where it is little use is not a good idea. However, a single piece can be extremely powerful in the right place. Look at the chess board. Divide it in half so your pieces are on one side and your opponent's are on the other. Try to get one of your pieces past that middle line in a place where it is well protected. By getting your piece firmly in your opponent's territory you are hindering how and where they can move, making it easier
The King can be more than a weakness
The King, as you know, is what decides a win or loss in chess. Generally it is a good idea to keep him protected. Placing a few pawns in front of him is a good defense and will buy you more time to take your opponent's King. However, when there are fewer pieces on the board, the king can be used to influence and threaten pieces. Send it past your pawns and and you can influence how your opponent moves his pieces. It is a bit more risky, but can win games.
I can't write an entire book on chess strategies in this article, but hopefully these few basic tips will help you out some. If you do want something longer to teach you how to become a better chess player, go to http://kudu02.bestnet05.hop.clickbank.net/
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