title: The Prelude

text: The poem was intended as the prologue to a long three-part epic and philosophical poem, "The Recluse". Though Wordsworth planned this project when he was in his late 20s, he went to his grave at 80 years old having written to some completion only "The Prelude" and the second part ("The Excursion"), and leaving no more than fragments of the rest.


title: The Prelude

text: Wordsworth initially planned to write this work together with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, their joint intent being to surpass John Milton's "Paradise Lost" . If "The Recluse" had been completed, it would have been about three times as long as "Paradise Lost" (33,000 lines versus 10,500). Wordsworth often commented in his letters that he was plagued with agony because he had failed to finish the work. In his introduction to the version of 1850 Wordsworth explains that the original idea, inspired by his "dear friend" Coleridge, was "to compose a philosophical Poem, containing views of Man, Nature, and Society, and to be entitled the "Recluse"; as having for its principal subject, the sensations and opinions of a poet living in retirement".


title: The Prelude

text: Coleridge's inspiration and interest is evident in his letters. For instance, in 1799 he wrote to Wordsworth: "I am anxiously eager to have you steadily employed on 'The Recluse'... I wish you would write a poem, in blank verse, addressed to those who, in consequence of the complete failure of the French Revolution, have thrown up all hopes of amelioration of mankind, and are sinking into an almost Epicurean selfishness, disguising the same under the soft titles of domestic attachment and contempt for visionary philosophies. It would do great good, and might form a Part of 'The Recluse'." (STC to WW, Sept. 1799).


title: The Prelude

text: Wordsworth pays tribute to Coleridge in his introduction to the edition of 1850: "work [is] addressed to a dear friend, most distinguished for his knowledge and genius, and to whom the author's intellect is deeply indebted."


title: The Prelude

text: According to Monique R. Morgan's "Narrative Means to Lyric Ends in Wordsworth's "Prelude"," "Much of the poem consists of Wordsworth's interactions with nature that 'assure[d] him of his poetic mission.' The goal of the poem is to demonstrate his fitness to produce great poetry, and "The Prelude" itself becomes evidence of that fitness." It traces the growth of the poet's mind by stressing the mutual consciousness and spiritual communion between the world of nature and man.


title: The Prelude

text: The work is a poetic reflection on Wordsworth's own sense of his poetic vocation as it developed over the course of his life. Its focus and mood present a sharp and fundamental fall away from the neoclassical and into the Romantic. Milton, who is mentioned by name in line 181 of Book One, rewrote God's creation and The Fall of Man in "Paradise Lost" in order to "justify the ways of God to men," Wordsworth chooses his own mind and imagination as a subject worthy of epic.


title: The Prelude

text: This spiritual autobiography evolves out of Wordsworth's "persistent metaphor [that life is] a circular journey whose end is 'to arrive where we started / And know that place for the first time' (T. S. Eliot, "Little Gidding", lines 241-42). "The Prelude" opens with a literal journey [during his manhood] whose chosen goal [...] is the Vale of Grasmere. "The Prelude" narrates a number of later journeys, most notably the crossing of the Alps in Book VI and, in the beginning of the final book, the climactic ascent of Snowdon. In the course of the poem, such literal journeys become the metaphorical vehicle for a spiritual journey—the quest within the poet's memory [...]".


title: Water turbine

text: A water turbine is a rotary machine that converts kinetic energy and potential energy of water into mechanical work.


title: Water turbine

text: Water turbines were developed in the 19th century and were widely used for industrial power prior to electrical grids. Now, they are mostly used for electric power generation.


title: Water turbine

text: Water wheels have been used for hundreds of years for industrial power. Their main shortcoming is size, which limits the flow rate and head that can be harnessed.


title: Water turbine

text: The migration from water wheels to modern turbines took about one hundred years. Development occurred during the Industrial revolution, using scientific principles and methods. They also made extensive use of new materials and manufacturing methods developed at the time.


title: Water turbine

text: The word turbine was introduced by the French engineer Claude Burdin in the early 19th century and is derived from the Greek word "τύρβη" for "whirling" or a "vortex". The main difference between early water turbines and water wheels is a swirl component of the water which passes energy to a spinning rotor. This additional component of motion allowed the turbine to be smaller than a water wheel of the same power. They could process more water by spinning faster and could harness much greater heads. (Later, impulse turbines were developed which didn't use swirl.)


title: Water turbine

text: The earliest known water turbines date to the Roman Empire. Two helix-turbine mill sites of almost identical design were found at Chemtou and Testour, modern-day Tunisia, dating to the late 3rd or early 4th century AD. The horizontal water wheel with angled blades was installed at the bottom of a water-filled, circular shaft. The water from the mill-race entered the pit tangentially, creating a swirling water column which made the fully submerged wheel act like a true turbine.


title: Water turbine

text: Fausto Veranzio in his book "Machinae Novae" (1595) described a vertical axis mill with a rotor similar to that of a Francis turbine.


title: Water turbine

text: Johann Segner developed a reactive water turbine (Segner wheel) in the mid-18th century in Kingdom of Hungary. It had a horizontal axis and was a precursor to modern water turbines. It is a very simple machine that is still produced today for use in small hydro sites. Segner worked with Euler on some of the early mathematical theories of turbine design. In the 18th century, a Dr. Robert Barker invented a similar reaction hydraulic turbine that became popular as a lecture-hall demonstration. The only known surviving example of this type of engine used in power production, dating from 1851, is found at Hacienda Buena Vista in Ponce, Puerto Rico.


title: Water turbine

text: In 1826, Benoît Fourneyron developed an outward-flow turbine. This was an efficient machine (~80%) that sent water through a runner with blades curved in one dimension. The stationary outlet also had curved guides.


title: Water turbine

text: In 1844, Uriah A. Boyden developed an outward flow turbine that improved on the performance of the Fourneyron turbine. Its runner shape was similar to that of a Francis turbine.


title: Water turbine

text: In 1849, James B. Francis improved the inward flow reaction turbine to over 90% efficiency. He also conducted sophisticated tests and developed engineering methods for water turbine design. The Francis turbine, named for him, is the first modern water turbine. It is still the most widely used water turbine in the world today. The Francis turbine is also called a radial flow turbine, since water flows from the outer circumference towards the centre of runner.


title: Water turbine

text: Inward flow water turbines have a better mechanical arrangement and all modern reaction water turbines are of this design. As the water swirls inward, it accelerates, and transfers energy to the runner. Water pressure decreases to atmospheric, or in some cases subatmospheric, as the water passes through the turbine blades and loses energy.


title: Water turbine

text: In 1876, John B. McCormick, building on Francis's designs, demonstrated the first modern mixed-flow turbine with the development of the Hercules turbine, initially manufactured by the Holyoke Machine Company and subsequently improved upon by engineers in Germany and the United States. The design effectively combined the inward flow principles of the Francis design with the downward discharge of the Jonval turbine, with flow inward at the inlet, axial through the wheel's body, and slightly outward at the outlet. Initially performing optimally at 90% efficiency at lower speeds, this design would see many improvements in the subsequent decades in derivatives under names like "Victor", "Risdon", "Samson" and "New American," ushering in a new era of American turbine engineering.


title: Water turbine

text: Water turbines, particularly in the Americas, would largely become standardized with the establishment of the Holyoke Testing Flume, described as the first modern hydraulic laboratory in the United States by Robert E. Horton and Clemens Herschel, the latter of which would serve as its chief engineer for a time. Initially created in 1872 by James B. Emerson from the testing flumes of Lowell, after 1880 the Holyoke, Massachusetts hydraulic laboratory was standardized by Herschel, who used it to develop the Venturi meter, the first accurate means of measuring large flows, to properly measure water power efficiency by different turbine models. While skepticism of certain weir calculations were held by European hydrologists, the facility allowed for standard efficiency testing among major manufacturers through 1932, by which time more modern facilities and methods had proliferated.


title: Water turbine

text: Around 1890, the modern fluid bearing was invented, now universally used to support heavy water turbine spindles. As of 2002, fluid bearings appear to have a mean time between failures of more than 1300 years.


title: Water turbine

text: Around 1913, Viktor Kaplan created the Kaplan turbine, a propeller-type machine. It was an evolution of the Francis turbine and revolutionized the ability to develop low-head hydro sites.


title: Water turbine

text: All common water machines until the late 19th century (including water wheels) were basically reaction machines; water "pressure" head acted on the machine and produced work. A reaction turbine needs to fully contain the water during energy transfer.


title: Water turbine

text: In 1866, California millwright Samuel Knight invented a machine that took the impulse system to a new level. Inspired by the high pressure jet systems used in hydraulic mining in the gold fields, Knight developed a bucketed wheel which captured the energy of a free jet, which had converted a high head (hundreds of vertical feet in a pipe or penstock) of water to kinetic energy. This is called an impulse or tangential turbine. The water's velocity, roughly twice the velocity of the bucket periphery, does a U-turn in the bucket and drops out of the runner at low velocity.


title: Water turbine

text: In 1879, Lester Pelton, experimenting with a Knight Wheel, developed a Pelton wheel (double bucket design), which exhausted the water to the side, eliminating some energy loss of the Knight wheel which exhausted some water back against the center of the wheel. In about 1895, William Doble improved on Pelton's half-cylindrical bucket form with an elliptical bucket that included a cut in it to allow the jet a cleaner bucket entry. This is the modern form of the Pelton turbine which today achieves up to 92% efficiency. Pelton had been quite an effective promoter of his design and although Doble took over the Pelton company he did not change the name to Doble because it had brand name recognition.


title: Water turbine

text: Flowing water is directed on to the blades of a turbine runner, creating a force on the blades. Since the runner is spinning, the force acts through a distance (force acting through a distance is the definition of work). In this way, energy is transferred from the water flow to the turbine.


title: Water turbine

text: The precise shape of water turbine blades is a function of the supply pressure of water, and the type of impeller selected.


title: Water turbine

text: Reaction turbines are acted on by water, which changes pressure as it moves through the turbine and gives up its energy. They must be encased to contain the water pressure (or suction), or they must be fully submerged in the water flow.


title: Water turbine

text: Most water turbines in use are reaction turbines and are used in low (<) and medium () head applications.


title: Water turbine

text: Impulse turbines change the velocity of a water jet. The jet pushes on the turbine's curved blades which changes the direction of the flow. The resulting change in momentum (impulse) causes a force on the turbine blades. Since the turbine is spinning, the force acts through a distance (work) and the diverted water flow is left with diminished energy. An impulse turbine is one in which the pressure of the fluid flowing over the rotor blades is constant and all the work output is due to the change in kinetic energy of the fluid.


title: Water turbine

text: Prior to hitting the turbine blades, the water's pressure (potential energy) is converted to kinetic energy by a nozzle and focused on the turbine. No pressure change occurs at the turbine blades, and the turbine doesn't require a housing for operation.


title: Water turbine

text: Some water turbines are designed for pumped-storage hydroelectricity. They can reverse flow and operate as a pump to fill a high reservoir during off-peak electrical hours, and then revert to a water turbine for power generation during peak electrical demand. This type of turbine is usually a Deriaz or Francis turbine in design.


title: Water turbine

text: This type of system is used in El Hierro, one of the Canary Islands: "When wind production exceeds demand, excess energy will pump water from a lower reservoir at the bottom of a volcanic cone to an upper reservoir at the top of the volcano 700 meters above sea level. The lower reservoir stores 150,000 cubic meters of water. The stored water acts as a battery. The maximum storage capacity is 270 MWh. When demand rises and there is not enough wind power, the water will be released to four hydroelectric turbines with a total capacity of 11 MW."


title: Water turbine

text: Turbine selection is based on the available water head, and less so on the available flow rate. In general, impulse turbines are used for high head sites, and reaction turbines are used for low head sites. Kaplan turbines with adjustable blade pitch are well-adapted to wide ranges of flow or head conditions, since their peak efficiency can be achieved over a wide range of flow conditions.


title: Water turbine

text: Small turbines (mostly under 10 MW) may have horizontal shafts, and even fairly large bulb-type turbines up to 100 MW or so may be horizontal. Very large Francis and Kaplan machines usually have vertical shafts because this makes best use of the available head, and makes installation of a generator more economical. Pelton wheels may be either vertical or horizontal shaft machines because the size of the machine is so much less than the available head. Some impulse turbines use multiple jets per runner to balance shaft thrust. This also allows for the use of a smaller turbine runner, which can decrease costs and mechanical losses.


title: Water turbine

text: The specific speed formula_8 of a turbine characterizes the turbine's shape in a way that is not related to its size. This allows a new turbine design to be scaled from an existing design of known performance. The specific speed is also the main criteria for matching a specific hydro site with the correct turbine type.


title: Water turbine

text: The specific speed is the speed with which the turbine turns for a particular discharge Q, with unit head and thereby is able to produce unit power.


title: Water turbine

text: Affinity laws allow the output of a turbine to be predicted based on model tests. A miniature replica of a proposed design, about one foot (0.3 m) in diameter, can be tested and the laboratory measurements applied to the final application with high confidence. Affinity laws are derived by requiring similitude between the test model and the application.


title: Water turbine

text: Flow through the turbine is controlled either by a large valve or by wicket gates arranged around the outside of the turbine runner. Differential head and flow can be plotted for a number of different values of gate opening, producing a hill diagram used to show the efficiency of the turbine at varying conditions.


title: Water turbine

text: The runaway speed of a water turbine is its speed at full flow, and no shaft load. The turbine will be designed to survive the mechanical forces of this speed. The manufacturer will supply the runaway speed rating.


title: Water turbine

text: Different designs of governors have been used since the mid-18th century to control the speeds of the water turbines. A variety of flyball systems, or first-generation governors, were used during the first 100 years of water turbine speed controls. In early flyball systems, the flyball component countered by a spring acted directly to the valve of the turbine or the wicket gate to control the amount of water that enters the turbines. Newer systems with mechanical governors started around 1880. An early mechanical governor is a servomechanism that comprises a series of gears that use the turbine's speed to drive the flyball and turbine's power to drive the control mechanism. The mechanical governors were continued to be enhanced in power amplification through the use of gears and the dynamic behavior. By 1930, the mechanical governors had many parameters that could be set on the feedback system for precise controls. In the later part of the twentieth century, electronic governors and digital systems started to replace the mechanical governors. In the electronic governors, also known as second-generation governors, the flyball was replaced by rotational speed sensor but the controls were still done through analog systems. In the modern systems, also known as third-generation governors, the controls are performed digitally by algorithms that are programmed to the computer of the governor.


title: Water turbine

text: A wicket gate, or guide vane, is a component of water turbines to control the flow of water that enters the turbine. A series of small openings of the wicket gates surround the turbine. When the wicket gates are opened wider, more water will flow into the turbine runner which results in higher power output. The control of wicket gate opening and closing will allow the output energy generated by the turbines to be controlled to match the desired output energy levels.


title: Water turbine

text: Given that the turbine blades in a water turbine are constantly exposed to water and dynamic forces, they need to have high corrosion resistance and strength. The most common material used in overlays on carbon steel runners in water turbines are austenitic steel alloys that have 17% to 20% chromium to increase stability of the film which improves aqueous corrosion resistance. The chromium content in these steel alloys exceed the minimum of 12% chromium required to exhibit some atmospheric corrosion resistance. Having a higher chromium concentration in the steel alloys allows for a much longer lifespan of the turbine blades. Currently, the blades are made of martensitic stainless steels which have high strength compared to austenitic stainless steels by a factor of 2. Besides corrosion resistance and strength as the criteria for material selection, weld-ability and density of the turbine blade. Greater weld-ability allows for easier repair of the turbine blades. This also allows for higher weld quality which results in a better repair. Selecting a material with low density is important to achieve higher efficiency because the lighter blades rotate more easily. The most common material used in Kaplan Turbine blades are stainless steel alloys (SS). The martensitic stainless steel alloys have high strength, thinner sections than standard carbon steel, and reduced mass that enhances the hydrodynamic flow conditions and efficiency of the water turbine. The SS(13Cr-4Ni) has been shown to have improved erosion resistance at all angles of attack through the process of laser peening. It is important to minimize erosion in order to maintain high efficiencies because erosion negatively impacts the hydraulic profile of the blades which reduces the relative ease to rotate.


title: Water turbine

text: Turbines are designed to run for decades with very little maintenance of the main elements; overhaul intervals are on the order of several years. Maintenance of the runners and parts exposed to water include removal, inspection, and repair of worn parts.


title: Water turbine

text: Normal wear and tear includes pitting corrosion from cavitation, fatigue cracking, and abrasion from suspended solids in the water. Steel elements are repaired by welding, usually with stainless steel rods. Damaged areas are cut or ground out, then welded back up to their original or an improved profile. Old turbine runners may have a significant amount of stainless steel added this way by the end of their lifetime. Elaborate welding procedures may be used to achieve the highest quality repairs.


title: Water turbine

text: Other elements requiring inspection and repair during overhauls include bearings, packing box and shaft sleeves, servomotors, cooling systems for the bearings and generator coils, seal rings, wicket gate linkage elements and all surfaces.


title: Water turbine

text: Water turbines are generally considered a clean power producer, as the turbine causes essentially no change to the water. They use a renewable energy source and are designed to operate for decades. They produce significant amounts of the world's electrical supply.


title: Water turbine

text: Historically there have also been negative consequences, mostly associated with the dams normally required for power production. Dams alter the natural ecology of rivers, potentially killing fish, stopping migrations, and disrupting peoples' livelihoods. For example, Native American tribes in the Pacific Northwest had livelihoods built around salmon fishing, but aggressive dam-building destroyed their way of life. Dams also cause less obvious, but potentially serious consequences, including increased evaporation of water (especially in arid regions), buildup of silt behind the dam, and changes to water temperature and flow patterns. In the United States, it is now illegal to block the migration of fish, for example the white sturgeon in North America, so fish ladders must be provided by dam builders.


title: States of the German Empire

text: The German Empire consisted of 25 constituent states and an Imperial Territory, the largest of which was Prussia. These states, or "Staaten" (or "Bundesstaaten", i.e. federal states, a name derived from the previous North German Confederation; they became known as "Länder" during the Weimar Republic) each had votes in the Bundesrat, which gave them representation at a federal level.


title: States of the German Empire

text: Several of these states had gained sovereignty following the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire. Others were created as sovereign states after the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Territories were not necessarily contiguous, such as Bavaria, or Oldenburg—many existed in several parts (enclaves and exclaves), as a result of historical acquisitions, or, in several cases, divisions of the ruling family trees.


title: States of the German Empire

text: Different from the above-mentioned monarchies these city-states were constitutionally organised as republics.


title: States of the German Empire

text: Different from all other aforementioned constituent states, this region, comprising territory ceded by France in 1871 after the Franco-Prussian War, was first administered directly by the central government, but was granted limited autonomy in 1911 with an elected state parliament of its own.


title: Restrepo (film)

text: Restrepo is a 2010 American documentary film about the War in Afghanistan directed by British photojournalist Tim Hetherington and American journalist Sebastian Junger. It explores the year that Junger and Hetherington spent, on assignment for "Vanity Fair", in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley, embedded with the Second Platoon, B Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team of the U.S. Army. The Second Platoon is depicted defending the outpost (OP) named after a platoon medic who was killed earlier in the campaign, PFC Juan Sebastián Restrepo, who was a Colombian-born naturalized U.S. citizen. The directors stated that the film is not a war advocacy documentary, they simply "wanted to capture the reality of the soldiers."


title: Restrepo (film)

text: After some footage of four inebriated soldiers shot by PFC Juan Sebastián Restrepo a week before deployment, text is displayed that reads: "In May 2007, the men of Second Platoon, Battle Company began a 15 month deployment in the Korengal Valley of eastern Afghanistan. It was considered one of the most dangerous postings in the U.S. Military." The Korengal flows north to the Pech, which then flows east to the Kunar River Valley on Afghanistan's porous border with Pakistan. American soldiers and supplies were ferried into the remote Combat Outpost (COP) Korengal by Chinook helicopters. As an example of the ever-present dangers faced by the soldiers in the area, the first scene in the film that takes place in Afghanistan depicts a fire-fight after a military Hummer is disabled on a narrow mountain road by an IED.


title: Restrepo (film)

text: The remainder of the film chronicles the lives of the men of Second Platoon from a few months after their arrival in the Korengal Valley to the time of their return home. Early in their deployment, PFC Vimoto was killed in action, and the unit lost PFC Restrepo, their medic, shortly after. When Capt. Dan Kearney decided to construct an advanced outpost, the men chose to call it "OP Restrepo", which is where most of the film takes place. At Restrepo, the men came under fire almost daily, and often multiple times in a single day, from shifting enemy positions in the surrounding landscape.


title: Restrepo (film)

text: In addition to interrupting the flow of Taliban troops and weapons through the Korengal Valley, a major goal for the American troops was to provide security for the construction of a road and gain the trust of the populace. The film portrays negotiations and interactions between the soldiers and local leaders and citizens, some of which are congenial, and some of which are more antagonistic.


title: Restrepo (film)

text: A significant portion of the second half of the film consists of a depiction of Operation Rock Avalanche, which took place in October 2007. During the dangerous mission to hunt Taliban fighters in the Korengal Valley, Battle Company lost Staff Sergeant Larry Rougle during an ambush by a large number of enemies. Sgt. Rougle was at point and took the brunt of the attack, allowing his soldiers to secure a position and fight. A recipient of the Purple Heart who served two tours in Iraq and three in Afghanistan, Sgt. Rougle was subsequently buried in Arlington National Cemetery.


title: Restrepo (film)

text: According to Junger, "Restrepo" is a film, not just about the events of combat, but also about "brotherhood", and it shows the soldiers' dedication to their duty, as well as their commitment to one another. Interspersed throughout the film are excerpts from interviews recorded with some of the soldiers after Second Platoon returned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team's base near Vicenza, Italy, in which the men candidly reflect on their experiences, feelings about those who were wounded or killed, and the emotional distress they will carry with them.


title: Restrepo (film)

text: Before the credits roll, text is displayed that reads: "In April 2010, the United States withdrew from the Korengal Valley. Nearly 50 American soldiers died fighting there."


title: Restrepo (film)

text: For his actions during Operation Rock Avalanche, Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta from 2nd Battalion, who is not featured in the film, would later become the first living person to receive the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War. Sergeant Kyle J. White (also from 2nd Battalion, but not featured in the film) later received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Aranas on November 9, 2007.


title: Restrepo (film)

text: On 20 April 2011, Tim Hetherington (one of the directors, producers, and cinematographers of 'Restrepo") was killed by shrapnel from either a mortar shell or an RPG fired by Libyan forces whilst covering the First Libyan Civil War.


title: Restrepo (film)

text: The film received the Grand Jury Prize: Documentary at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, it has a "Certified Fresh" rating of 96% based on 118 reviews, with an average score of 8.1/10; the website's "critics consensus" reads: "Forsaking narrative structure for pure visceral power, "Restrepo" plunges viewers into the experiences of soldiers on the front lines of the Afghan War." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 85 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".


title: Restrepo (film)

text: Roger Ebert awarded the film four out of four stars, and numerous critics and publications included it in their lists of the best films of 2010. The National Board of Review named it one of the top documentary films of 2010, and it was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 83rd Academy Awards, losing to "Inside Job".


title: Restrepo (film)

text: In March 2014, "Realscreen" magazine revealed that Junger was working on a sequel to "Restrepo", titled "Korengal". The followup was released in theaters in New York on May 30, 2014, with a pay-VOD release following that September. "Korengal" "departs from the vérité style of the original somewhat, as it features an original score and some archival news footage", though nearly all of the footage consists of material from Heatherington and Junger's visits to the Korengal Valley in 2007 and 2008, and the subsequent interviews with soldiers done in Italy, that had not been used in "Restrepo".


title: Sisters (American TV series)

text: Sisters is an American family drama television series that aired on NBC for six seasons from May 11, 1991 to May 4, 1996. The series was created by Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman, who were also the executive producers and showrunners. The show debuted on May 11, 1991, for a seven-episode test run and was subsequently renewed for the 1991 fall schedule.


title: Sisters (American TV series)

text: "Sisters" focused on four very different sisters living in Winnetka, Illinois. Their recently deceased father, Thomas Reed, a doctor, had been absent and a workaholic, while their long-suffering mother, Beatrice, turned to alcoholism to cope with his neglect and affairs. Having always wanted sons, their father had called the girls by male versions of their full names: Alexandra was called Alex; Theodora, Teddy; Georgiana, Georgie; and Francesca, Frankie.


title: Sisters (American TV series)

text: For the first two seasons, each episode began with the sisters' weekly ritual of chatting in a steam bath together, but switched to a more traditional opening sequence beginning with the 1992–1993 season: glossy, black-and-white filmed scenes of the sisters engaging in various activities during both their childhood and adult years. Initially, the only soundtrack used for the opening was the sounds of the characters, but in the fall of 1993 a piano solo composed by John Debney was added as theme music.


title: Sisters (American TV series)

text: Most episodes of the show featured a number of flashbacks, in which the characters would interact with or simply observe their younger selves (played by younger actresses). Although the show was a drama with soap opera–style storylines, the show was also quirky and offbeat in the style of other shows at the time like CBS's "Northern Exposure".


title: Sisters (American TV series)

text: One year after her husband's death, Beatrice reluctantly sold the family home to move into a seniors' condominium building. Depressed, Beatrice relapses on alcohol and is arrested for driving under the influence. Teddy comes back into town from California to discover her ex-husband Mitch is dating her younger sister Frankie. Alex believes her husband Wade is cheating on her, but instead discovers he is a crossdresser. Bea goes to court for her DUI charge; the judge on her case, Truman Ventner, is an acquaintance of hers who also happens to live in her building. Teddy pursues Mitch and although he resists her, they eventually spend a night together; shortly afterward Mitch and Frankie (who is unaware of the encounter) announce their engagement and plan a quick wedding. Teddy breaks up their wedding drunk with a shotgun; Frankie decides not to reschedule the wedding and she and Mitch stop seeing each other. Ashamed of how her behavior is affecting the family and especially her daughter Cat, Teddy leaves Cat with Mitch and announces she will return to California alone. Georgie's son Evan is diagnosed with leukemia, and Teddy decides to stay in Winnetka.


title: Sisters (American TV series)

text: Georgie attempts to balance her needs with Evan's during his treatment. Alex discovers Wade has been cheating on her for six months with a former patient, and she and Wade divorce. Reed (Ashley Judd) reacts by rebelling and dropping out of school. Frankie makes a financial investment in Mitch's fish market; while filing paperwork at City Hall, they decide to elope. Teddy discovers she is pregnant with Mitch's baby following their earlier brief encounter; she tells the family that she became pregnant after a one-night stand. Mitch eventually finds out the truth, but Frankie never does. Truman and Beatrice begin a relationship. Teddy begins a job doing window dressing at a fashion boutique, then suffers a miscarriage. Alex begins dating her plumber, Victor, while Wade tries to win her back. After Evan's favorite teacher is dismissed for being HIV-positive, Georgie runs for the school board, but narrowly loses. Teddy is let go from the fashion boutique, embarks on a brief career as a "Wonderful You" makeup saleslady, and begins her clothing design career when during an (unsuccessful) makeup sales party, Alex's socialite friends notice Teddy's hand-painted blouse and demand to order blouses of their own. Alex and Wade decide to reconcile. Frankie discovers she cannot carry a child; following a failed adoption, she asks Georgie to be a surrogate mother for her baby.


title: Sisters (American TV series)

text: Alex plans an elaborate ceremony and reception at her house for Truman and Beatrice's wedding, but they decide to elope; Reed and Kirby (Paul Rudd) are married there instead. Georgie gives birth to Frankie's son Thomas George after a car accident; Georgie has difficulty seeing him as her sister's child. Alex and Teddy feud due to Alex's jealousy of Teddy's newfound success as a clothing designer. Simon Bolt (Mark Frankel) invests in Teddy's fashion design company but later sells it to a Texan investor without consulting Teddy. Teddy walks away from her company when the new owner does not respect her artistic vision. A Hollywood producer makes a TV movie of the family's surrogacy story. Alex is diagnosed with breast cancer, which leads her to doing a standup comedy act about her cancer experience. Frankie and Mitch divorce and spar over custody of Thomas George.


title: Sisters (American TV series)

text: Cat is attacked and raped by a college acquaintance; James Falconer (George Clooney) is assigned to investigate the case. He is able to help Cat remember her attacker, Kyle, and he is arrested. However the prosecution cannot prove its case and Kyle is found not guilty only to be shot and killed on the courthouse steps by a previous victim. Frankie quits her executive job and buys the Sweet Sixteen diner. Teddy and Falconer run into each other at an AA meeting and begin dating. Trevor rebels and is sent to boarding school, then runs away from the school and disappears. Georgie falls into a depression about her perceived failure as a parent and considers suicide, but decides against it and asks for help. Truman is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and initially refuses to tell Beatrice. The stress of Trevor's disappearance leads Georgie and John to separate. Alex gets her own talk show with a lesbian producer named Norma (Nora Dunn). Alex meets Big Al (Robert Klein) when he agrees to sponsor her talk show; she initially dislikes him but they soon begin dating. A fifth sister, Charlotte Bennett (Jo Anderson), is introduced. Charlotte is a cancer patient who needs a bone marrow donation from a relative. Although none of the sisters are a match, she receives the bone marrow from an unrelated donor. Keeping the customary manner in which her half-sisters go by male versions of their full names, Charley is brought into the family and welcomed, primarily through Frankie's effort and determination. Alex and Big Al marry; on their wedding night he is arrested for tax evasion. Georgie and John reunite after realizing they cannot control what happens to Trevor. Reed returns for a visit and gives birth to Halsey. Trevor finally returns from the streets when Winnetka is hit by a tornado, and Falconer and Teddy marry on a plane that is caught in the storm.


title: Sisters (American TV series)

text: Falconer is killed. His murder was ordered by a criminal he was about to testify against in court. Georgie begins seeing a new therapist, Dr. Caspian (Daniel Gerroll), who manipulates her into believing she had been molested by her father. Frankie inherits a boxer, Lucky (John Wesley Shipp), from a former client, and eventually begins a relationship with him. A viewer with terminal cancer asks Alex to take care of her daughter, Roxie (Kathryn Zaremba); Alex wants to adopt the little girl, but her father returns and they move away together. Unable to cope with Falconer's death, Teddy relapses with alcohol. Big Al is released from prison early and runs for mayor. Teddy shows up drunk to his election night victory party and hits Evan on his bicycle with her car; she leaves to enter rehab. Truman gives Alex a videotaped message asking her to help him end his life once his Alzheimer's has advanced. Dr. Caspian and Georgie begin an affair during her therapy sessions; Georgie leaves John, believing Dr. Caspian loves her, but Dr. Caspian ignores her and claims she has misinterpreted their "work" together. Georgie realizes she has been manipulated, but has no evidence to get the psychological board to revoke his license. Charley begins therapy with Dr. Caspian and eventually manages to record him behaving inappropriately toward her during their sessions. Norma fires Alex from her talk show for talking about AIDS against the network's wishes. Frankie accidentally creates Cowlotta, a large pink cow character that children love, and is asked to move to Japan to manage the character. Alex helps Truman end his life; she is arrested, but avoids prison when a terminally ill judge recuses himself from her case. Teddy has an affair with Daniel Albright (Gregory Harrison), the man who had Falconer killed, in an attempt to gather evidence that will send him to jail. With Lucky's help, she succeeds and Albright is arrested. Alex and Norma run a pledge drive for the local PBS station and are asked to create a new version of Alex's talk show. Bea is depressed following Truman's death; Charley offers her a job working as a receptionist in her free clinic. Teddy meets Jack Chambers (Philip Casnoff), the man who received Falconer's transplanted heart, and strikes up a brief relationship with him.


title: Sisters (American TV series)

text: Now divorced from John, Georgie goes to graduate school in psychology. She begins a relationship with Brian (Joe Flanigan), a 24-year-old student in her classes who was very standoffish to her at first. Teddy and Cat are carjacked; Cat meets police officer Billy Griffin (Eric Close) when reporting the crime. Later, Teddy is accidentally shot in the head with the gun she bought for protection. She falls into a coma, but Alex convinces brilliant neurosurgeon Dr. Gabriel Sorenson (Stephen Collins) to operate and save her life. Teddy eventually begins a relationship with Sorenson, and Cat decides to enter the police academy. Charley (now played by Sheila Kelley) becomes a foster parent to Jesse (Sean Nelson), the son of a woman at her free clinic who died. She also begins dating her colleague Dr. Wes Hayes (Michael Whaley), though he is initially resistant to an interracial relationship. Reed (now played by Noelle Parker) returns to town after divorcing Kirby and losing custody of her daughter Halsey, and ends up running a high-priced call-girl ring. Alex turns crucial evidence over to the police and Reed is sentenced to community service. Teddy and Gabe decide to marry, but their wedding is interrupted when a heart donor is found for Big Al; Teddy and Gabe finally marry at the hospital just before Big Al is taken into surgery. Charley decides to adopt Jesse, and plans to quickly marry Wes because two parents make a more appealing adoptive family; however, Charley eventually realizes Jesse should instead be adopted by the family that had already adopted his brother. Charley and Wes marry anyway. Alex's talk show is canceled again and she decides to take an extended trip to help flooding victims in Tennessee. In the final episode, Georgie's college thesis about her sisters deeply angers Alex and Charley, though Teddy finds it amusing. The sisters must put aside their differences when Beatrice has a major stroke. Shortly before Beatrice dies Frankie returns from Japan and clashes with Charley. Later, Frankie announces she wants to move back home to Winnetka. Georgie sees John at Bea's memorial service and realizes she misses him; shortly afterward, she breaks up with Brian. The sisters scatter their mother's ashes on the rosebushes she named after them. Teddy announces she is pregnant with a daughter, who she plans to name Beatrice Rose. Georgie and John discuss reconciling and share an embrace. Finally, Alex assumes the role of family matriarch.


title: Sisters (American TV series)

text: Many well-known TV stars guest starred on the show, including Gregory Harrison (5 episodes), Charlotte Rae (3 episodes), and William Katt (2 episodes). Diane Ladd and Joyce Van Patten both guest starred as Belle, Charley's mom. Real-life sisters Audrey Meadows and Jayne Meadows played sisters on the show. Other guest stars included Darren McGavin, Denise Crosby, Ilene Graff, Christina Pickles, Dorothy Lyman, Gloria Henry, Carrie Snodgress, Deborah Harmon, and Elayne Boosler.


title: Sisters (American TV series)

text: Patricia Kalember's real-life husband Daniel Gerroll guest starred as her predatory therapist for 11 episodes in season 5. Also Naomi Judd guest starred in the episode that marked her real-life daughter Ashley's final appearance as Reed.


title: Sisters (American TV series)

text: On June 2, 2015, it was announced that Shout! Factory (under WB license) had acquired the rights to the series in Region 1; they have subsequently released all six seasons on DVD.


title: Sisters (American TV series)

text: The series received eight Emmy Award nominations over the course of its run, winning once in 1994 for Sela Ward as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Swoosie Kurtz was also nominated twice in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category in 1993 and 1994.


title: General-purpose input/output

text: A general-purpose input/output (GPIO) is an uncommitted digital signal pin on an integrated circuit or electronic circuit (e.g. MCUs/MPUs ) board which may be used as an input or output, or both, and is controllable by software.


title: General-purpose input/output

text: GPIOs have no predefined purpose and are unused by default. If used, the purpose and behavior of a GPIO is defined and implemented by the designer of higher assembly-level circuitry: the circuit board designer in the case of integrated circuit GPIOs, or system integrator in the case of board-level GPIOs.


title: General-purpose input/output

text: Integrated circuit (IC) GPIOs are implemented in a variety of ways. Some ICs provide GPIOs as a primary function whereas others include GPIOs as a convenient "accessory" to some other primary function. Examples of the former include the Intel 8255, which interfaces 24 GPIOs to a parallel communication bus, and various GPIO "expander" ICs, which interface GPIOs to serial communication buses such as I²C and SMBus. An example of the latter is the Realtek ALC260 IC, which provides eight GPIOs along with its main function of audio codec.


title: General-purpose input/output

text: Microcontroller ICs usually include GPIOs. Depending on the application, a microcontroller's GPIOs may comprise its primary interface to external circuitry or they may be just one type of I/O used among several, such as analog signal I/O, counter/timer, and serial communication.


title: General-purpose input/output

text: In some ICs, particularly microcontrollers, a GPIO pin may be capable of other functions than GPIO. Often in such cases it is necessary to configure the pin to operate as a GPIO (vis-á-vis its other functions) in addition to configuring the GPIO's behavior. Some microcontroller devices (e.g., Microchip dsPIC33 family) incorporate internal signal routing circuitry that allows GPIOs to be programmatically mapped to device pins. Field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA) extend this ability by allowing GPIO pin mapping, instantiation and architecture to be programmatically controlled.


title: General-purpose input/output

text: Many circuit boards expose board-level GPIOs to external circuitry through integrated electrical connectors. Usually, each such GPIO is accessible via a dedicated connector pin.


title: General-purpose input/output

text: Like IC-based GPIOs, some boards merely include GPIOs as a convenient, auxiliary resource that augments the board's primary function, whereas in other boards the GPIOs are the central, primary function of the board. Some boards, which are classified usually as multi-function I/O boards, are a combination of both; such boards provide GPIOs along with other types of general-purpose I/O. GPIOs are also found on embedded controller boards such as Arduino, BeagleBone, and Raspberry Pi.


title: General-purpose input/output

text: Board-level GPIOs are often given abilities which IC-based GPIOs usually lack. For example, Schmitt-trigger inputs, high-current output drivers, optical isolators, or combinations of these, may be used to buffer and condition the GPIO signals and to protect board circuitry. Also, higher-level functions are sometimes implemented, such as input debounce, input signal edge detection, and pulse-width modulation (PWM) output.


title: General-purpose input/output

text: GPIOs are used in a diverse variety of applications, limited only by the electrical and timing specifications of the GPIO interface and the ability of software to interact with GPIOs in a sufficiently timely manner.


title: General-purpose input/output

text: GPIOs usually employ standard logic levels and cannot supply significant current to output loads. When followed by an appropriate high-current output buffer (or mechanical or solid-state relay), a GPIO may be used to control high-power devices such as lights, solenoids, heaters, and motors (e.g., fans and blowers). Similarly, an input buffer, relay or opto-isolator is often used to translate an otherwise incompatible signal (e.g., high voltage) to the logic levels required by a GPIO.


title: General-purpose input/output

text: Integrated circuit GPIOs are commonly used to control or monitor other circuitry (including other ICs) on a board. Examples of this include enabling and disabling the operation of (or power to) other circuitry, reading the states of on-board switches and configuration shunts, and driving light-emitting diode (LED) status indicators. In the latter case, a GPIO can, in many cases, supply enough output current to directly power an LED without using an intermediate buffer.


title: General-purpose input/output

text: Multiple GPIOs are sometimes used together as a bit banging communication interface. For example, two GPIOs may be used to implement a serial communication bus such as Inter-Integrated Circuit (I²C), and four GPIOs can be used to implement a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) bus; these are usually used to facilitate serial communication with ICs and other devices which have compatible serial interfaces, such as sensors (e.g., temperature sensors, pressure sensors, accelerometers) and motor controllers. Taken to the extreme, this method may be used to implement an entire parallel bus, thus allowing communication with bus-oriented ICs or circuit boards.


title: General-purpose input/output

text: Although GPIOs are fundamentally digital in nature, they are often used to control linear processes. For example, a GPIO may be used to control motor speed, light intensity, or temperature. Usually, this is done via PWM, in which the duty cycle of the GPIO output signal determines the effective magnitude of the process control signal. For example, when controlling light intensity, the light may be dimmed by reducing the GPIO duty cycle. Some linear processes require a linear control voltage. In such cases, it may be feasible to connect a GPIO, which is operated as a PWM output, to an RC filter to create a simple, low cost digital-to-analog converter.


title: General-purpose input/output

text: GPIO interfaces vary widely. In some cases, they are simple—a group of pins that can switch as a group to either input or output. In others, each pin can be set up to accept or source different logic voltages, with configurable drive strengths and pull ups/downs. Input and output voltages are usually, but not always, limited to the supply voltage of the device with the GPIOs, and may be damaged by greater voltages.


title: General-purpose input/output

text: A GPIO pin's state may be exposed to the software developer through one of a number of different interfaces, such as a memory-mapped I/O peripheral, or through dedicated IO port instructions. Some GPIOs have 5 V tolerant inputs: even when the device has a low supply voltage (such as 2 V), the device can accept 5 V without damage.


title: General-purpose input/output

text: A GPIO port is a group of GPIO pins (often 8 pins, but it may be less) arranged in a group and controlled as a group.


title: Mii

text: A Mii ( ) is a customizable avatar used on several Nintendo video game consoles and mobile apps. Miis were first introduced on the Wii console in 2006 and later appeared on the 3DS, Wii U, the Switch, and various apps for smart devices. Miis can be created using different body, facial and clothing features, and can then be used as characters within games on the consoles, either as an avatar of a specific player (such as in the "Wii" series) or in some games (such as "Tomodachi Life" and "Miitopia") portrayed as characters with their own personalities. Miis can be shared and transferred between consoles, either manually or automatically with other users over the internet and local wireless communications.


title: Mii

text: On the 3DS and Wii U, user accounts are associated with a Mii as their avatar and used as the basis of the systems' social networking features, most prominently the now-defunct Miiverse. On the Nintendo Switch, a Mii can still be used as an account avatar, but avatars depicting various Nintendo characters are also available. Miis are also used as profile pictures for Nintendo Accounts and can be used in Nintendo smart device games such as "Super Mario Run" and the now-defunct "Miitomo".


title: Mii

text: Games such as "Wii Sports", "Wii Sports Resort", "Mario Kart Wii", "Mario Kart 8", "Go Vacation", "Super Mario Maker 2", "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" and "New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe" use Miis as playable characters.


title: Mii

text: Nintendo's first public debut of free-form personal avatar software was at the Game Developers Conference in 1997, during the Nintendo 64 era. There, Shigeru Miyamoto said that the personal avatar concept had originally been intended as a Famicom demo, where a user could draw a face onto an avatar. Miyamoto commented that the concept could not be turned into a game and the concept was suspended.


title: Mii

text: In 1999, the 64DD (a disk drive peripheral for the N64) was launched in Japan. Nintendo had produced a short film using the 64DD's "Mario Artist: Talent Studio"s avatar maker, which includes clothes and a built-in movie editor. The player can optionally utilize the Game Boy Camera and the 64DD's Capture Cassette to put their own face upon the avatar.


title: Mii

text: The next avatar implementation was for the Nintendo e-Reader and GameCube. Along with the Game Boy Camera, it can build an avatar maker. Miyamoto showed another short film they made with this software, which was shown at E3 2002 with the name "Stage Debut". This software, renamed to "Manebito", was discontinued prior to release.


title: Mii

text: Nintendo designer Yamashita Takayuki attributes his work on "Talent Studio" as having been foundational to his eventual work on the Mii, which was necessitated by the development of the game "Wii Sports".


title: Mii

text: Mii characters are created and stored in the Mii Channel or the Mii Maker, which are pre-installed on the Wii and the Nintendo 3DS/Wii U/Nintendo Switch consoles respectively. While the user can assign a gender, name, birthday, favorite color, and mingle preference to a Mii, the majority of the interface used for Mii creation focuses on the appearance of its face and head: the user is given a variety of different hairstyles, eye, nose, and mouth shapes, and other features such as facial hair or wrinkles, to select from. Most of the facial features can be further adjusted, including their size, position, color, and alignment. Accessories such as hats and glasses are also available to add, and the Mii's height and build can also be adjusted. The Mii Maker installed on the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U can use facial recognition to generate a Mii, which selects facial features based on a photograph of a person's face taken with the system's and GamePad's cameras respectively. The features can then be fine-tuned by the user. These versions also have more options than their Wii counterpart. Because the selection of facial features is considered by some to be limited, users are encouraged to develop caricatures of real persons instead of accurate depictions.


title: Mii

text: Nintendo periodically released special Miis, usually during E3 or to commemorate game and franchise anniversaries. For a limited time between March 13 and 30, 2007, Wii owners in Japan were sent Mii versions of comedian Sanma Akashiya and tennis player Shuzo Matsuoka. The duo had been featured in Japanese promotions for the Wii, highlighting Miis themselves. Miis of Satoru Iwata and Reggie Fils-Aime (the presidents of Nintendo and Nintendo of America, respectively) were released on the 3DS for the 1st anniversary of the handheld console. During 2013, Nintendo released special Miis of Shigeru Miyamoto and Kensuke Tanabe, and during E3 2013, also released special Miis for Takashi Tezuka, Koichi Hayashida, Eiji Aonuma, and Hideki Konno. Their Miis feature gold pants, as opposed to a gray pair, and cannot be edited or copied. If owners transfer them to another Wii or Wii Remote, they will be removed from their original location, instead of traditionally making another copy.


title: Mii

text: In late 2011, Nintendo released "Swapnote"/"Nintendo Letter Box" for the Nintendo 3DS, which features an original female Mii character called Nikki (ニッキー). Nikki gained a relatively small fan base of her own right, especially in Japan. After Nikki's debut, Nintendo featured the character in a few other games and apps, such as , a Nintendo 3DS travel guide app that was exclusively distributed via the now-defunct Club Nintendo in Japan.


title: Mii

text: It is possible to create special Mii-like characters through the use of third-party software, but Nintendo typically will force these entrepreneurs to shut down. Sometimes when a customer has needed to return his or her Wii for service, a replacement machine must be sent. When that happens, the Mii software recognizes it is a different system and will not allow any editing of Miis created on the original system. Nintendo, while offering to copy game data and Miis to the new machine, will not alter the Miis so that they can be edited on the replacement machine.


title: Mii

text: The Mii Channel is the app that allows Mii creation on the Wii menu. It can store up to 100+ Miis similarly than the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Switch and Wii Remotes are also able to store and transfer up to ten Miis to other consoles. It is also possible to see other Miis from TV shows and games.


title: Mii

text: Miis are intended to be an extension of the player, and in keeping with this spirit, the user can use them in several Nintendo titles for the Wii. "Wii Sports" is perhaps the best-known example of this, and it adds a further personal touch to Miis by saving game statistics and records for individual Miis. Miis will make cameo appearances as computer-controlled opponents, teammates, or within the audience. Miis have been used to serve as game file icons (profiles) within several games. Often appearing as just a head for identification, this Mii has no impact on the actual gameplay other than to identify a player in another way besides the name, or representation based on looks.


title: Mii

text: Miis are primarily used in games such as "Wii Sports", "Wii Play", "Wii Fit", "Wii Party", "Wii Fit Plus", "Wii Music" and "Wii Sports Resort". Players can also use their Miis, however, in other first-party games, most noticeably within "", "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games", "Mario Party 8", "Mario Kart Wii", "Mario Super Sluggers", "" (using their Mii's head as a mask) and in "Go Vacation". The Japan-only Sega game "Pachinko: Sammy's Collection" is the first third-party game to incorporate Miis, while the Wii version of "FIFA Soccer 08" is the first third-party game released in North America, Europe and Australia to use the Mii Channel. Many other games, like "We Ski", and "Guitar Hero World Tour" and "Sonic Colors" also use Miis.


title: Mii

text: While a Mii's head always remains the same, its body varies between games. For example, in "Wii Sports", the Mii's body is stylized, with spherical floating hands and bearing no arms, and Mii audiences or CPUs floating with spherical bottoms with no legs instead, but in "Wii Fit" its body is designed to look more natural, and its weight will be determined by the weight "Wii Fit" found of the player in "Wii Fit" tests. Sometimes Miis will wear outfits in context with the game. In "Super Mario Galaxy" and its sequel, the Miis can be optionally used for the planet's icon that represents the save file, the other option being to use "Mario" characters for the planets. Only the Mii's head is shown and it's shown in a sphere shaped like the planet. In "Mario Kart Wii", Mii racers can be dressed in jumpsuits, or Mario style overalls for males and a Peach style dress for females, in "Dr. Mario Online Rx", Miis appear in medical clothing, and in "", where they appear as bobblehead dolls, they will be dressed up in bounty hunter Samus Aran's Power Suit. In "MLB Power Pros", Miis are designed to look like regular Power Pro-Kun avatar, with legs detached from the main body. In "Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 2", the Mii's body is formed more like a regular human. This design was, however, criticized by IGN's Lucas M. Thomas, who sarcastically commented that "[it] doesn't look disturbing at all."


title: Mii

text: While Miis are not playable in "Super Smash Bros. Brawl", the creator of the series, Masahiro Sakurai, explained that Miis were originally considered to be playable in the game, but the idea was decided against due to fears of bullying. They would eventually debut in "Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U".


title: Mii

text: Miis were incorporated in the downloadable Everybody Votes Channel, where Miis represented the voter. Up to six different Miis could be registered within the channel to use in voting. The channel was discontinued along with the Check Mii Out channel by Nintendo on June 28, 2013, as they moved on to other next-generation projects.


title: Mii

text: Another Mii-centric channel, the Check Mii Out Channel, also known as the in Japan, Europe, and Oceania, was released on November 11, 2007. Perhaps an evolution of an idea shared by Shigeru Miyamoto at the Game Developers Conference in 2007, this channel allowed players to upload their Mii characters and share them with other users. There were also popularity contests, in which players would design a Mii that would personify a specific idea or character and then vote on the Mii that would best fit the suggestion. The channel was available for free download on the Wii Shop Channel from November 12, 2007, until June 27, 2013, when Nintendo discontinued the channel along with the Everybody Votes channel.


title: Mii

text: Although the platform lacks native support for Mii creation, a few games on the Nintendo DS console do support Mii functionality, and will work in conjunction with the Wii's Mii Channel.


title: Mii

text: Miis can be transferred from a user's Wii to supported Nintendo DS games via the Mii Channel. A code must be entered by the user to unlock the feature on the Mii Channel.


title: Mii

text: The Nintendo DS game "" uses Miis to allow players to track their progress in the game. Players are also able to create Miis in-game. The Nintendo DS version of "" also uses Miis.


title: Mii

text: The life-simulation game "Tomodachi Collection", only released in Japan for the Nintendo DS, also uses Miis and has a built-in Mii editor. Miis from the user's Wii's Mii Channel can be transferred to the game, and vice versa.


title: Mii

text: The is the app that allows Mii creation on the Nintendo 3DS. It can store up to 100 Mii characters again like the same to the Nintendo Wii and the Nintendo Switch, and it is also possible to see other Mii characters from TV shows and games. The Mii Maker installed on the Nintendo 3DS can use facial recognition to generate a Mii, which selects facial features based on a photograph of a person's face taken with the system's cameras.


title: Mii

text: Unlike the Nintendo DS, which features limited support of Mii characters, its successor the Nintendo 3DS features Miis as a standard. Similar to the Wii's "Mii Channel", the Nintendo 3DS features its own Mii-creating application called "Mii Maker", which is more advanced than the "Mii Channel".


title: Mii

text: Mii characters can be created manually with "Mii Maker" as on the Wii's "Mii Channel", but they can also be created automatically through the use of the Nintendo 3DS's cameras. The system captures an image of a subject's face, and the application converts the image into a Mii likeness using integrated recognition software. Automated Mii character designs can be manually adjusted. Mii characters can also be imported from the Wii to the 3DS or from the 3DS to the Wii U. However, Miis cannot be sent from the 3DS to the Wii, as "Mii Maker" features an expanded selection of design parts that are not available on "Mii Channel".


title: Mii

text: The Nintendo 3DS can generate and read QR codes that represent Mii characters. QR codes and pictures of Mii characters can also be transferred to an SD card in any picture format, and be used in various ways, such as posting them on a web page. Miis on the Nintendo 3DS can also be used in conjunction with the device's Augmented Reality software - the software includes a mini-app named 'Mii Pics' which allows the user to take a photo of their Mii within a regular photo, using an augmented reality card included with the system.


title: Mii

text: The first Nintendo 3DS game to include support for Mii characters is "Pilotwings Resort". Miis obtained through StreetPass appear as non-player characters in "Nintendogs + Cats". Mii characters also appear in "Pokémon Rumble Blast", "Mario Kart 7", and in many more games.


title: Mii

text: Currently, the most notable game to feature Miis in their entirety is "Tomodachi Life", the sequel to "Tomodachi Collection," the prequel to Tomodachi Life exclusively for Japan released for DS. This is also the first game to give Miis complete lines of dialogue as well as the first game to allow players to choose what Miis say. "Miitopia" is another Mii-centric game title for the Nintendo 3DS, also released on the Nintendo Switch in May 2021.


title: Mii

text: A feature on the Nintendo 3DS, the makes use of the handheld's StreetPass feature, which data between nearby Nintendo 3DS consoles in standby mode. As Miis are gathered in the plaza, they can be used in numerous minigames, with the initial two being Puzzle Swap and Find Mii (known as StreetPass Quest in PAL regions). In Puzzle Swap, players can exchange pieces of several jigsaw puzzle panels based on Nintendo games, in which there were initially seven, but this number increased with occasional updates. Find Mii is an RPG minigame in which players use the Miis they gathered to fight through dungeons, earning accessories for their Mii. Each Mii possesses a different type of magic depending on their color, and become more powerful if the player meets them more than once. These games can be optionally played with Play Coins, though the results are more random than with Streetpass Miis. On December 6, 2011, the feature was updated to include SpotPass functionality, as well as new puzzle panels, a sequel to Find Mii, a map showing where players met other Miis, Accomplishments and a music player.


title: Mii

text: Special Miis released by Nintendo and obtained through SpotPass can also be used in StreetPass Mii Plaza. They have access to all Puzzle Swap pieces and provide a level 5 player for Find Mii.


title: Mii

text: The is the app that allows Mii creation on the Wii U. It can store up to 3,000 Miis. It is also possible to see other Mii characters from TV shows and games. The Mii Maker installed on the Wii U can use facial recognition to generate a Mii, which selects the features based on a photo of a face taken with the Wii U GamePad camera.


title: Mii

text: Mii characters evolve further for the Wii's successor, Wii U. In addition to previous uses on the Wii, Mii characters are wholly integrated into the Wii U's social online network Miiverse, the WaraWara Plaza community where clusters of Mii characters crowd around the hottest games, and being depicted as personal avatars for individual Wii U players, who have the ability for twelve separate Nintendo Network ID User accounts that can be used on a single console at a time. User accounts with Mii representatives are used for both games and apps such as Nintendo TVii. Mii characters can be transferred from the Wii and/or the Nintendo 3DS to the Wii U, in which in the latter's case transfers between consoles can occur as many times as possible. Mii characters also return as in-game characters for certain Wii U games, which in addition to Nintendo-published launch titles such as "Super Smash Bros. for Wii U", "Mario Kart 8", "New Super Mario Bros. U" and "Nintendo Land", they are also included in third-party titles such as "Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed". In "Mario Kart 8", there are 19+ amiibo suits when you tap an amiibo on the left side of the Wii U Gamepad based on the customizable characters.


title: Mii

text: Miis can be used on the Nintendo Switch to represent accounts; unlike previous Nintendo consoles, users may optionally use a Nintendo character as their avatar instead, but Miis can still be integrated into games as a playable character such as "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe", "Go Vacation", "Nintendo Switch Sports", "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" and "New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe". The Mii Maker is located within the console's system settings menu and, unlike previous Mii Makers, provides unnatural hair and eye colors. Miis can be transferred between Nintendo Switch consoles and imported from a Nintendo 3DS or Wii U using an amiibo figure. Miis can also be imported from a Nintendo Account. In "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe", there are 20 amiibos registered after when you tap an amiibo on the NFC reader here on the Joy-Con (R), or on the top of the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. Like with the Wii and Nintendo 3DS, the Nintendo Switch can hold up to 100+ Miis.


title: Mii

text: The first Mii-centered game released on the Nintendo Switch so far is "Miitopia", a remaster of the 2017 role-playing video game originally on the Nintendo 3DS.


title: Mii

text: The Miis are also featured in "Nintendo Switch Sports". However, new avatars called "Sportsmates" are also playable.


title: Mii

text: When the freemium mobile app (since shut down) "Miitomo" launched on iOS and Android devices, it was possible for the first time to officially create Mii characters without the need for a Nintendo console. Mii characters created on the app initially resembled their Wii U counterparts, with a later update introducing Nintendo Switch standards, and use the same attributes. Nintendo Account holders can opt to use the app to create Mii avatars without the need to link their accounts to any Nintendo console, with the option also available. "Miitomo" was also be used to support Mii avatars on other Nintendo apps for smart devices. For example, an update released for "Super Mario Run" on April 25, 2017, introduced player Mii icon customization options with the support of "Miitomo", and its in-game costumes, via the same Nintendo Account. "Miitomo" was only available in 60 of the 165 countries/territories recognized by Nintendo Accounts by May 9, 2018, when it was discontinued.


title: Mii

text: On May 24, 2018, Nintendo introduced a browser-based Mii editor called Mii Studio. The editor is integrated into all Nintendo Accounts for users in all regions, including regions that did not originally have official support for "Miitomo". Mii Studio supports all Mii attributes and standards introduced for the Nintendo Switch. Up to six Mii avatars can be created at a time, including any Mii imported from a linked Nintendo Network ID (also known as NNID).


title: Mii

text: In a pre-queue area for "" at the Super Nintendo World amusement area in Universal Studios Japan, Mii characters appear on several screens to showcase ride mechanics and safety precautions.


title: Tigray Defense Forces

text: The Tigray Defense Forces (; TDF: ሓምት), colloquially "Tigray Army" () is a paramilitary rebel group in Tigray. It was founded by distant former generals of Ethiopia in 2020 to fight the federal government mandate and federal forces which enforce federal mandate in the regional state, in the Tigray War. The TDF is said to have experience with guerrilla warfare. Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch have reported that TDF rebels have partaken in gang rapes and extrajudicial killings of civilians during their occupation of the Afar and Amhara regions. According to the Ethiopian Ministry of Justice TDF rebels have been found responsible for at least 540 civilians deaths by 28 December 2021.


title: Tigray Defense Forces

text: The Tigray Defense Forces consist of a merger of the Special Forces of the Tigray Regional government, soldiers that have defected from the federal forces, local militia, members of Tigrayan political parties such as the TPLF, National Congress of Great Tigray, Salsay Weyane Tigray, Tigray Independence Party and others together with numerous youth who fled to the mountains.


title: Tigray Defense Forces

text: Within the TDF, analysts believe that the relative influence of the TPLF has been weakened, at the benefit of the other, often relatively new, components.


title: Tigray Defense Forces

text: the TDF was reported by Oryx , military-focused blog to operate at least 53 main battle tanks, 21 armoured personnel carriers, 48 pieces of towed artillery, 11 rocket launchers and even ballistic missiles. This is significant since, unlike a unconventional guerilla force, they can, in theory, fight conventionally.


title: Tigray Defense Forces

text: Many of the TDF officers and non-commissioned officers defected from the ENDF in the lead up to and during the Tigray War. In a zoom meeting with Tigray diaspora activists in June 2021, the President of the disputed Government of Tigray, Debretsion Gebremichael, said that the TDF is led by a central command which coordinates all aspects of the armed resistance of Tigray.


title: Tigray Defense Forces

text: Lieutenant General Tsadkan Gebretensae, who was the Ethiopian national forces commander in chief until 2001, became the TDF commander in chief and remained in that post until March 2021, when he became a member of the Central Command.


title: Tigray Defense Forces

text: Lieutenant General Tadesse Werede Tesfay ("Wedi Werede") is part of the command and Commander-in-Chief of the TDF since March 2021.


title: Tigray Defense Forces

text: According to the Jamestown Foundation, as of May 2021 "Young men and women—many of whom fear being raped or murdered—are fleeing to areas under the nominal control of the TDF. The TDF is also accused of carrying out attacks on Amhara civilians."


title: Tigray Defense Forces

text: Tigrayans belonging to civil society have also joined the TDF. This includes Professor Kindeya Gebrehiwot, previous president of Mekelle University; Desta Gebremedhin, previous journalist of BBC World, numerous popular musicians, and Prof. Mulugeta Gebrehiwot, an internationally renowned peace researcher. Desta Gebremedhin's wife Weyni Abraha explained that Desta was not in peace after the breakout of the Tigray war. Desta made his decision to join TDF when he went to Sudan to cover the Tigrayan refugees.


title: Tigray Defense Forces

text: The TDF has been accused of forced recruitment, including that of minors. According to multiple witnesses and Tigrayan administrative officials, each household in Tigray was required to enlist one family member to the TDF, and those who refused to comply were arrested and imprisoned, including parents of minors who did not wish to enlist.


title: Tigray Defense Forces

text: According to the Jamestown Foundation, as of May 2021 "the TPLF, or now TDF, possess the two components most critical to conducting a guerrilla war: deep knowledge of the geographic and socio-political terrain and a sympathetic population. The TPLF/TDF also has caches of weapons and an abundance of fighters as well as professionally trained officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs)."


title: Tigray Defense Forces

text: TDF's operational mode is to launch attacks at night, beat Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers, take their equipment, and reuse it against them. To communicate, they pass through the people, "because this war is also theirs".


title: Tigray Defense Forces

text: In July 2021, after the Ethiopian government had declared a unilateral ceasefire and withdrawn from much of the Tigray Region, the TDF invaded the neighboring Afar and Amhara regions. The ENDF then launched its own counteroffensive and by December 2021 had recaptured those regions.


title: Tigray Defense Forces

text: According to the Jamestown Foundation, "After the ENDF and soldiers from the Eritrean Army took over Tigray’s major towns, TDF forces retreated to strongholds in the mountainous central interior of the region. There, the TDF consolidated forces and re-organized for a transition to guerrilla-style combat... Following what was a strategic retreat to the rugged interior, TDF forces re-organized into small, highly-mobile, lightly armed, detachments of ten to eighty fighters. These detachments were then further divided into mission-specific units."


title: Tigray Defense Forces

text: According to the Jamestown Foundation, "The Ethiopian government's scorched earth strategy in Tigray has all but ensured the alienation of most Tigrayans. It has also ensured that the TDF will have no shortage of committed fighters and sympathetic supporters within Tigray."


title: Tigray Defense Forces

text: The TDF have been implicated in numerous war crimes in Afar and Amhara Regions to include the extrajudicial killings of civilians, indiscriminate shelling and shooting, rape as a weapon of war, use of civilians as human shields, and widespread looting and destruction of civilian infrastructure and private property.


title: Tigray Defense Forces

text: International medias reported that TDF burned down entire village near Kobbo which is in North Wollo. This reports show satellite images of entire village before and after it was burned.


title: Gandhi–Irwin Pact

text: The Gandhi–Irwin Pact was a political agreement signed by Mahatma Gandhi and Lord Irwin, Viceroy of India, on 5 March 1931 before the Second Round Table Conference in London. Before this, Irwin, the Viceroy, had announced in October 1929 a vague offer of 'dominion status' for India in an unspecified future and a Round Table Conference to discuss a future constitution. The Second Round Table Conference was held from September to December 1931 in London. This movement marked the end of the Civil Disobedience Movement in India.


title: Gandhi–Irwin Pact

text: Gandhi and Lord Irwin had eight meetings that totalled 24 hours. Although Gandhi was impressed by Irwin's sincerity, the terms of the pact fell manifestly short of those Gandhi had prescribed as the minimum for a truce.


title: Gandhi–Irwin Pact

text: Many British officials in India, and in Britain, were outraged by the idea of a pact with a party whose avowed purpose was the destruction of the British Raj. Winston Churchill publicly expressed his disgust "...at the nauseating and humiliating spectacle of this one-time Inner Temple lawyer, now seditious "fakir", striding half-naked up the steps of the Viceroy’s palace, there to negotiate and parley on equal terms with the representative of the King Emperor."


title: Gandhi–Irwin Pact

text: Lord Irwin at this time headed the repression of Indian nationalism, but did not relish the role, with British-run Indian Civil Service and the commercial community then favouring even harsher measures. Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald and William Benn, His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for India, were eager for peace so long as it didn't weaken the position of the Labour government. As such, they wished for the success of the Round Table Conference and knew that it would carry little weight without the presence of Gandhi. In January 1931, at the closing session of the Round Table Conference, Ramsay MacDonald expressed hope that the Congress would be represented at the next session. The Viceroy, taking the hint, promptly ordered the unconditional release of Gandhi and all members of the Congress Working Committee. In response, Gandhi agreed to meet the Viceroy.


title: Gandhi–Irwin Pact

text: This was the second high-level meeting between Gandhi and a Viceroy in 13 years and should be read in the context of the Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms that were the basis of the Government of India Act, 1919.


title: Crash Bandicoot: Warped

text: Crash Bandicoot: Warped, known in Europe as Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped, is a 1998 platform game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It is the third game in the "Crash Bandicoot" video game series following "".


title: Crash Bandicoot: Warped

text: The game's story takes place immediately after . When the ruins of Doctor Neo Cortex's space station crash-land on Earth, they unleash an evil entity known as Uka Uka, Aku Aku's evil twin brother, who joins with Cortex and the time-obsessed Doctor Nefarious Tropy as they plan to gather powerful crystals that lay scattered across time, and use their energy to enslave the Earth. The game follows the main characters Crash and Coco Bandicoot as they travel through time and prevent the villains from gathering the crystals by collecting them themselves.


title: Crash Bandicoot: Warped

text: "Crash Bandicoot: Warped" was lauded by critics, who noted a high quality in many areas, including gameplay, graphics and audio, and the game has been considered one of the best video games of all time. It went on to sell nearly 6 million units, making it one of the best-selling video games for the PlayStation. In Japan, the game surpassed the sales of its two predecessors and became the first non-Japanese PlayStation title to sell over 1 million copies in the country. A remastered version was included in the "Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy" collection for the PlayStation 4 in June 2017, and ported to other platforms in June 2018.


title: Crash Bandicoot: Warped

text: "Warped" is a platform game in which the player controls Crash and Coco Bandicoot, who must travel through time and gather 25 crystals scattered across time before Doctor Neo Cortex and Uka Uka do so. Much of the game takes place in the Time-Twisting Machine, which acts as the hub area of the game. The Time-Twisting Machine is split up into five chambers; only the first chamber is initially available. Each chamber has five buttons that open portals to different levels. The goal in each level is to find and obtain the crystal hidden in the area. In some levels, the crystal will be located at the end of a level or must be earned by completing a specific challenge. Some levels contain a "Bonus Platform" that leads to a special bonus area, where the player must navigate through a separate area and collect everything in sight. As no lives are lost in the bonus areas, the bonus areas can be played through as often as the player desires until the bonus area can be cleared. After completing all five levels in a chamber, a sixth button that opens a portal to a boss level will appear. By defeating the boss, the next chamber will become available for play. When all 25 Crystals are found and all five boss characters are defeated, the game is won.


title: Crash Bandicoot: Warped

text: Crash and Coco start the game with five lives. A life is lost when they are struck by an enemy attack or suffer any other type of damage. More lives can be earned by collecting 100 "Wumpa Fruits" or breaking open a special crate to collect a life. If the player runs out of lives, the game is over. However, it can be continued by selecting "Yes" at the "Continue?" screen. Crash has the ability to jump into the air and land on an enemy character, spin in a tornado-like fashion to knock enemies off-screen, slide across the ground and perform a body slam to break certain objects. These abilities can be expanded on by defeating boss characters, often resulting in more powerful attacks or increased jumping and running prowess.


title: Crash Bandicoot: Warped

text: Boxes play a prominent role in "Warped" and can be broken with all of Crash's techniques. Boxes contain helpful items or can augment Crash's mobility. Check Point boxes allow the player to return to a specific point in the stage upon losing a life. TNT Boxes explode after a three-second fuse when jumped on, while Nitro Boxes explode upon any physical contact. All of the Nitro Boxes in a level can be detonated at once if a green-colored box with an exclamation point (!) on it is touched; contact with this box is necessary in obtaining the level's gem, as Nitro Boxes count towards the total number of boxes broken in the level.


title: Crash Bandicoot: Warped

text: Besides crystals, gems, both regular and colored varieties, can be collected for extra accomplishment. Gems are rewarded to the player if all of the crates in a level are broken open or if a secret area is completed. There are a total of 45 gems in the game. Colored gems are found in special levels and lead to hidden areas. There are 5 colored gems in the game. "Relics" can be won by re-entering a level after its crystal has been obtained. To obtain a Relic, the player must initiate the "Time Trial" mode by touching the floating stopwatch near the beginning of the level and race through a level in the designated time displayed before entering a level. Scattered throughout the level are yellow crates with the numbers 1, 2 or 3 on them. When these crates are broken, the timer is frozen for the number of seconds designated by the box. As no lives are lost in the Time Trial mode, the level can be played through as often as the player desires. Sapphire, Gold and Platinum Relics can be won depending on how low the player's final time is. The first five Relics the player receives unlocks access to a level in the "Secret Warp Room". Every five Relics thereafter open up another level in the Secret Warp Room. The levels in the Secret Warp Room must be won before the game can be completed.


title: Crash Bandicoot: Warped

text: The shattered remains of Doctor Neo Cortex's space station crash-land on Earth and set free a powerful entity known as Uka Uka, the mastermind of Cortex's previous schemes. He regroups with Cortex and additionally recruits Doctor Nefarious Tropy, the inventor of a device named the Time Twisting Machine which will allow Cortex's minions to collect the Crystals and Gems from their original places in time. At the home of the Bandicoots, Aku Aku senses Uka Uka's return and informs the Bandicoots that Uka Uka is his evil twin brother, whom he had locked away long ago to defend the planet. He then leads the Bandicoots to the Time Twisting Machine, which they can use to collect the Crystals and Gems before Cortex does so. Crash and Coco venture throughout time and defeat adversaries such as Tiny Tiger, Dingodile and Doctor N. Gin. The defeat of N. Tropy causes the Time Twisting Machine to gradually fall into disarray. Upon the defeat of Cortex and Uka Uka after collecting all the crystals and gems, the Time Twisting Machine implodes and traps Uka Uka in a timeless prison with Cortex and N. Tropy who have been turned into infants.


title: Crash Bandicoot: Warped

text: Production of "Warped" began in January 1998, with Naughty Dog given only ten and a half months and a budget of over $2 million to complete the game. Programmers Andy Gavin, Stephen White and Greg Omi created three new gameplay engines for the game. Two of the three new engines were three-dimensional in nature and were created for the airplane and jet-ski levels; the third new engine was created for the motorcycle levels in the style of a driving simulator. The new engines combined make up a third of the game, while the other two-thirds of the game consist of the same engine used in the previous games. Jason Rubin explained that the "classic" engine and game style was preserved due to the success of the previous two games and went on to say that "were we to abandon that style of gameplay, that would mean that we would be abandoning a significant proportion of gamers out there." An arbitrary plane z-buffer was created for the jet-ski and flooded Egyptian hallway levels of the game. To create a completely fluid feel for the water on these levels, an environment map that reflects the sky was fitted onto the surface of the water. A real shadow was given to the Crash character at the request of the Sony Computer Entertainment America producers, who were "sick of that little discus that's following him around." To create an "arcade" experience in the airplane levels and to differentiate them from flight simulators, the enemy planes were programmed to come out in front of the player and give the player ample time to shoot them before they turn around and shoot the player rather than come up behind the player and hit them from behind. The Relic system was introduced to give players a reason to return to the game after it has been completed.


title: Crash Bandicoot: Warped

text: The soundtrack of the game was produced by David Baggett and Mark Mothersbaugh and composed by Josh Mancell of Mutato Muzika. The sound effects were created by Mike Gollum, Ron Horwitz and Kevin Spears of Universal Sound Studios. Clancy Brown voiced the dual role of Doctor Neo Cortex and Uka Uka, while Brendan O'Brien voiced the dual role of Doctor N. Gin and Tiny the Tiger. Additionally, Michael Ensign voiced Doctor Nefarious Tropy, William Hootkins voiced Dingodile and Mel Winkler voiced Aku Aku. A small sampling of the game's levels was prominently displayed at Sony's Electronic Entertainment Expo booth in Atlanta, Georgia. Around this time, the video game industry wondered if "Crash Bandicoot: Warped" was just more of the same of the previous installment. The release of "Crash Bandicoot: Warped" was accompanied by marketing campaigns by Sony and Pizza Hut. The Japanese version of "Crash Bandicoot: Warped" was one of the first video games to support the PocketStation, a peripheral that downloads minigames from PlayStation games. A playable game demo of the Insomniac Games game "Spyro the Dragon" is available in the final product and can be accessed by entering a cheat code at the title screen.


title: Crash Bandicoot: Warped

text: American Exitus artist Charles Zembillas, who was a character designer and art director for the previous two games, reprised his role for "Warped". Uka Uka was created as a presence that would cause Doctor Neo Cortex to cower in fear. The emotion sketches depicting Cortex begging for forgiveness inspired the shot design and animation for the game's cinematic introductory sequence. Because the game's plot involved time travel, the time-traveling Doctor Nefarious Tropy was conceptualized. Zembillas drew the first sketches of Tropy (and the doodle he created as Naughty Dog was describing the character to him) on January 22, 1998. Tropy's wearable time-traveling device was conceptualized early on in the character's design evolution and initially appeared as a belt-like contraption that featured a digital read out displaying the year Tropy intended to travel to. Tropy's piston-driven, smog-generating time machine was made to reflect his unhealthy obsession with time. The Dingodile character was conceptualized by Naughty Dog employee Joe Labbe II, who requested a character that was a cross between a dingo and a crocodile. Zembillas drew the first sketches of Dingodile on February 4, 1998. At certain points, the character alternatively wore an Australian style hat, had a "mop of scruffy hair" and walked on all fours. Naughty Dog initially wanted Dingodile to be a fire-breathing character before Zembillas suggested giving him a flamethrower to make him "much more interesting". The final sketches of Dingodile were drawn on February 12, 1998.


title: Crash Bandicoot: Warped

text: When conceiving Coco Bandicoot's companion in the Chinese levels, it was decided that a "cute and huggable critter" that fit the Chinese theme was needed. A panda was originally considered but was rejected due to its similarity to the polar bear seen in "Cortex Strikes Back". A tiger cub, Pura, was chosen as an alternative. When creating the "Triceratops" chase sequences in the prehistoric levels, a minion of Doctor Cortex was initially animated riding the beast. Whenever the triceratops got stuck, it would thrash the minion around. The rider was ultimately removed for technical reasons. The "Tyrannosaurus" hatchling that Crash mounts in the prehistoric levels was drawn with chicken-like proportions by Naughty Dog's Bob Rafei. The shark seen in the game's underwater levels was one of Jason Rubin's first PowerAnimator models. The model was originally built for the first "Crash Bandicoot" game, but was not used until "Warped".


title: Crash Bandicoot: Warped

text: The "time travel around the world" theme of "Warped" allowed the Naughty Dog artists to stretch beyond the limits imposed by the island-themed setting of the previous games; each time theme has distinctly unique structures and color palettes. To demonstrate the effect that color has on the mood of an environment, level sketches, such as those of the Arabian or medieval levels, were recolored to alter the depicted time of day from day to night. Naughty Dog aimed to visually distinguish "Warped" from previous installments by "opening up the environment" and allowing greater distances to be visible without draw-in or fog; to achieve the image of endless rolling hills and distant castles seen in the Medieval levels, level of detail was accounted for by introducing new technologies into the game engine and changing the way some of the background elements were constructed. The most detailed textures of "Warped" are located in the Egyptian Tomb levels in the form of decorative paintings. To keep the image of an endless highway in the motorcycle levels from being boring, roadside details such as cacti and telephone poles were added to the scenery. Additionally, distant mesas were added to help break up the horizon. To give the desert highway some character, full-service gas stations and diners were added to the roadside to evoke a "1950s America" flavor. The Great Wall of China is portrayed during its construction stage to add visual variety and provide gameplay obstacles. Initial ideas for the submerged Atlantis stage varied from an ancient Roman-esque city in ruins to a high-tech submerged city of alien origin.


title: Crash Bandicoot: Warped

text: "Warped" received "universal acclaim", according to review aggregator Metacritic. Johnny Ballgame of "GamePro" concluded that the game was "a very strong contender for PlayStation game of the year" and that the "rowdy rowdy" gameplay will keep your head spinning for days." "Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine" considered the game to be "the best 2.5D platformer ever released." Ryan MacDonald of GameSpot said that "Crash Bandicoot: Warped" is "easily the best "Crash" yet," describing how all of its aspects were superior to previous installments in the series, and concluded that the game was "the most fun I've had with a 3D platform game in a long, long time." Mark Cooke of Game Revolution called the game "a barrage of good things" and said that the game's elements "all come together perfectly." Scott Alan Marriott of Allgame ("All Game Guide" at the time) considered the game to be "so impressive to watch that you'll have to keep one hand firmly below your chin to keep it from falling to the floor."


title: Crash Bandicoot: Warped

text: The game's graphics were lauded by critics. Johnny Ballgame praised the game's graphics as "incredibly clean" and "detailed", citing the water in the jet ski levels as "the most realistic-looking waves of any PlayStation game we've seen so far". Randy Nelson called the game "drop-dead gorgeous", detailing that "the textures are impeccable, the animation's top-notch, and the special effects kick some serious booty." Ryan MacDonald called the game "one of the most beautiful PlayStation games ever", citing the game's "smooth" character animations, "bright" and "colorful" landscapes, "gorgeous" lighting effects and a "refreshingly fast and steady" frame rate. Mark Cooke praised the game's "smooth" and "cartoonish" animation as "top of the line, bested by no other game" and its "limitless" rendering distance and "beautiful" 3D models as "the pinnacle of PlayStation rendering". However, he criticized the absence of death animations for the enemy characters. Scott Alan Marriott described the graphics as "unbelievable" and said that "everything is crystal clear, colorful, smoothly animated and extremely detailed."


title: Crash Bandicoot: Warped

text: The game's audio was also critically praised. Johnny Ballgame said that the sound "gets you pumped to play, especially the wicked drum beats that blare when you're charging through a level with the invincibility mask." He also commented positively on the other audio effects, such as "the boiling lava", "the raging pterodactyls" and the "zany movie voice-overs". Randy Nelson was thankful for the game's increased musical diversity in comparison to "Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back". Ryan MacDonald praised the music, sound effects and character voice-overs as "outstanding" and "extremely well done" and noted that the onscreen lip-synching is "almost perfectly matched to the voice." Mark Cooke said that the game's "over-exaggerated" voice-acting is "like those in good cartoons, and sometimes even better", and cited an "equally cartoonish" aspect in the music. Scott Alan Marriott described the voice-acting as "five-star quality all the way" and noted that the music "captures the level setting(s) perfectly."


title: Crash Bandicoot: Warped

text: By February 1999, 2.9 million copies of "Warped" had been shipped to retailers worldwide; the NPD Group reported sell-through of 862,506 copies in North America alone by the end of January. At the 1999 Milia festival in Cannes, it took home a "Gold" prize for revenues above €15 million in the European Union during the previous year. By 2002, "Warped" had sold over 5.7 million units worldwide, making it the thirteenth best-selling PlayStation video game of all time. The game's success resulted in its re-release for the Sony Greatest Hits lineup on August 23, 1999, and for the Platinum Range in 2000. "Crash Bandicoot: Warped" was a bestseller in Japan, and was the first non-Japanese PlayStation title to receive a "Platinum Prize" in Japan for selling over 1 million units. Game Informer placed the game 26th on their top 100 video games of all time in 2001 noting the game's difficulty not hard like the first game and not too easy like the second game and praising the platforming action as “fantastic”.


title: Rollin' (Limp Bizkit song)

text: "Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)" is a song by the American rap rock band Limp Bizkit from their album "Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water". It was released as the second and third single simultaneously, along with "My Generation", on September 5, 2000. The song peaked at number 65 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 and remained in the chart for 17 weeks. To date, it is their highest-charting single in the "Billboard" Hot 100. Outside of the United States, "Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)" topped the charts in the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom and peaked within the top 10 of the charts in Austria, Finland, Germany, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden.