2008’s Star Wars: Force Unleashed is the first game to use both of the ground-breaking Euphoria and Digital Molecular Matter (DMM) technologies. Euphoria is a behavioural simulation engine that ensures the game’s characters move and act in lifelike ways, while DMM is a physics engine that adds an incredible level of realism to a game, including the way that materials break and how grass sways in the wind, for example.
When the tactical World War II squad shooter Brothers in Arms was released in 2005, the History Channel used dynamic battlefield walkthroughs and flythroughs from the game in a documentary of the same name, making it the first videogame to inspire a programme in this way. The documentary tells the story of the 101st Airborne Division, 502nd Parachute Infantry between 6 and 13 June 1944. Featured in Guinness World Records Gamer”s Edition 2010
The world’s first virtual TV presenter is ‘Maddy’, who co-presented BBC1’s Tomorrow’s World (UK) for the first time, live and in real-time, on 27 March 2002 alongside the human presenters. Maddy was created by Digital Animations Group based in Glasgow, UK, using techniques which enables Maddy to have facial expressions, reactions and movements exactly like a human. Her voice is electronically generated, but is based on the computer’s selection of pre-recorded words and phrases done by a real human. Maddy was based on a 20-year-old-model,
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On April 19, 2000, virtual newscaster Ananova delivered her first news broadcast from www.ananova.com. Ananova, a product of Ananova Ltd. of Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK, has been programed to act like a human newscaster, responding with relevant emotions and actions depending on the nature of the information she is imparting. Ananova is a complete 3D model, generated in real time using a proprietory rending tool. Ananova speaks English with a mid-Atlantic accent, yet there are plans to add other languages in the future.
Thought to be the earliest memorial in an MMORPG, The Moraj Memorial flag outside the city of Bestine on Tatooine was placed by the Star Wars Galaxies (SWG) team in recognition of Nathan Larkins, one of the game’s beta testers, who was killed in a car accident. The flag marks where beta testers entered the game.
Made by Planning Systems Inc, part of QinetiQ North America, the EARS sniper detection system is the first that can be worn by a fighting soldier. It enables the user, following contact with a sniper, to immediately go on the offensive by giving audio and visual cueing to provide detection and location of an adversary. Based on a miniature, single, integrated acoustic sensor, it weighs under one pound uses just one watt of power.
The invention of a portable time-keeping device c. 1509 is attributed to Peter Henlein (Germany), designer of the “Nuremberg Egg” – a small, drum-shaped clock (with only an hour hand) that could be carried. References to a “pocket clock” have since been discovered that predate this invention by 40 years, but Henlein is credited with being the first person to manufacture such devices and introduce the concept of regular time-keeping – an essential tool for the “modern” world.
In November 2008 two discoveries announced at the same time revealed the first images taken in visible light of planets orbiting other stars. The Hubble Space Telescope team snapped a world around the size of Jupiter orbiting just within the dust disk surrounding the bright star Fomalhaut, 25 light years from Earth. Another team using the Keck and Gemini telescopes, directly imaged three planets around the star HR 8799, 129 light years from Earth.
Although usually associated with the Netherlands, the earliest recorded windmills were used for grinding corn in Iran in the 7th century AD. The oldest Dutch mill is the tower-mill at Zeddam, Gelderland, built c.1450.
The best ever performance by a wildcard entrant at the Wimbledon Championships is that of Croatian Goran Ivanisevic in 2001. Invited to play in the competition by the All England Club, Ivanisevic, ranked 125th in the world won the Men’s singles title by beating Pat Rafter (Australia) 6-3 3-6 6-3 2-6 9-7 in the final and becoming the first wild card entrant to win a Grand Slam tournament. The Croatian’s popular win came in his fourth final appearance and he also served a record 213
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