Universal Card for all Libraries
By: Mark Beaton
Bayshore Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.radioowensound.com/news.php?id=9568
Marzio Apolloni is the director of the Bruce County Public Library in Ontario. He is currently requesting that a universal library card be issued to all Ontario residents that would give all members access to all public libraries in Ontario. Mark Beaton, the author of the article, records Apolloni as reporting that "the more libraries try to diversify the services they provide, the more they become attractive to their users... [and] libraries are becoming more active in economic development and tourism."
Although the idea seems convenient and as though it would universally accepted, Apolloni also reports that all the libraries in Ontario would need to change their data systems in order to accommodate the membership changes.
It is also recorded in the article that Ontario will not be the first province in Canada to initiate a universal library card and that several states in the US also have a universal library card.
There may be several states in the US that have issued universal library cards; however, North Carolina is not one of them. As I understand, there are universal library cards per county, but they do not extend past the county lines. I grew up in Onslow County, but have frequently spent time in Pender, New Hanover and Brunswick Counties. Because my library card is for Onslow County, if I were to choose to live in Wilmington after graduation, I would have to apply for a New Hanover County library card. The concept of a state-wide library card is an excellent idea. Why not even make it country-wide? When on vacation or visiting friends or relatives, why shouldn't all Americans have access to all US libraries?
Monday, February 25, 2008
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
"Canadian Students Test Nintendo Wii Workout"
"Canadian Students Test Nintendo Wii workout: Canadian students have given each other a Wii workout to see if the top-selling video game console can get couch potatoes to work up a sweat"
By Reuters
Published: January 23,2008
http://www.news.com/Canadian-students-test-Nintendo-Wii-workout/2100-1043_3-6227307.html?tag=cd.hed
The latest video game craze is Nintendo's Wii. The system provides an interactive, almost virtual experience of its games. For example, in order to bowl in WiiSports, the player actually has to mimic the motions that one would perform in an actual bowling ally. A device that attaches to the television screen senses the players movement of the Wii Remote which dictates the player's on-screen Mii. (A Mii is a personalized character on the game system).
In this news article, a Wii player, Justin White, who is also a fourth-year kinesiology student, while playing the Wii boxing game, he "'noticed how exerting it was.'" As a result, he convinced his colleagues to help him perform an experiment to discover if playing Wii could qualify as a cardiovascular workout. They "tested the impact of playing the Wii boxing game for thirty minutes against a thirty-minute walk in a local park and an equal amount of time doing a 'boxercise' video." For each activity, the participants' heart-rates were monitored for comparison.
The results were surprising: playing Wii does not qualify as a cardiovascular workout. The reporter quotes White saying, "If they're looking for cardiovascular fitness, I'd advise them to do something else because it's really not intense enough." Although the participants who played Wii boxing did not experience as much as exertion as those doing the "boxercise" video, they did experience more than those who were walking in the park.
Whatever the level of exertion, at least it is some. I own a Wii, and frequently find myself out of breath or with an elevated heart-rate after playing long sessions with friends. Although this activity may not be considered a cardiovascular workout, it is definately better than sitting on the couch sans movement at all.
The article also revealed that later this year, Nintendo intends to release "Wii Fit, an exercise game that allows the user to perform a variety of exercises" and even tracks their body-mass index. In Japan, Wii Fit has already sold over one million copies and I expect that it will be just as popular in the US -- I can't wait to purchase it myself.
By Reuters
Published: January 23,2008
http://www.news.com/Canadian-students-test-Nintendo-Wii-workout/2100-1043_3-6227307.html?tag=cd.hed
The latest video game craze is Nintendo's Wii. The system provides an interactive, almost virtual experience of its games. For example, in order to bowl in WiiSports, the player actually has to mimic the motions that one would perform in an actual bowling ally. A device that attaches to the television screen senses the players movement of the Wii Remote which dictates the player's on-screen Mii. (A Mii is a personalized character on the game system).
In this news article, a Wii player, Justin White, who is also a fourth-year kinesiology student, while playing the Wii boxing game, he "'noticed how exerting it was.'" As a result, he convinced his colleagues to help him perform an experiment to discover if playing Wii could qualify as a cardiovascular workout. They "tested the impact of playing the Wii boxing game for thirty minutes against a thirty-minute walk in a local park and an equal amount of time doing a 'boxercise' video." For each activity, the participants' heart-rates were monitored for comparison.
The results were surprising: playing Wii does not qualify as a cardiovascular workout. The reporter quotes White saying, "If they're looking for cardiovascular fitness, I'd advise them to do something else because it's really not intense enough." Although the participants who played Wii boxing did not experience as much as exertion as those doing the "boxercise" video, they did experience more than those who were walking in the park.
Whatever the level of exertion, at least it is some. I own a Wii, and frequently find myself out of breath or with an elevated heart-rate after playing long sessions with friends. Although this activity may not be considered a cardiovascular workout, it is definately better than sitting on the couch sans movement at all.
The article also revealed that later this year, Nintendo intends to release "Wii Fit, an exercise game that allows the user to perform a variety of exercises" and even tracks their body-mass index. In Japan, Wii Fit has already sold over one million copies and I expect that it will be just as popular in the US -- I can't wait to purchase it myself.
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