Category Archives: Games

Games

Arts & Humanities, Games, Television

What Should the New ‘Jeopardy!’ Be? Guest Hosts Provide the Clues. – The New York Times

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Following Alex Trebek’s death, a parade of replacements seem to be battling for the soul of the game — and the state of knowledge itself.

By Amanda Hess, May 5, 2021

By Cari Vander Yacht

On a recent “Jeopardy!” episode, one of the contestants, Mike Nelson, alighted upon a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Nelson — “an actor originally from Chesterton, Indiana,” as the “Jeopardy!” announcer Johnny Gilbert introduced him — selected an $800 clue that triggered a Daily Double.

It was Anderson Cooper’s first night guest-hosting the show, but Nelson had a different man in mind as he made his wager. “I’ve always wanted to say this,” Nelson said. “Let’s make it a true Daily Double” — and here Nelson closed his eyes and lifted his hands as if to signal for some kind of celestial field goal — “Alex.”

Source: What Should the New ‘Jeopardy!’ Be? Guest Hosts Provide the Clues. – The New York Times

Food & Drink, Games, Memories & History, Pleasures, San Diego, Sports

Baseball lifts San Diego’s spirits. Can it revive a pandemic-stricken U.S. economy? | Reuters

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By Daniel Trotta, Chris Canipe, and Howard Schneider

May 6, 20218:09 AM PDT

Petco Park in San Diego celebrates the opening day for the San Diego Padres as they host the Atlanta Braves in their MLB home opening baseball game in San Diego, California April 12, 2010. REUTERS/Mike Blake (UNITED STATES)

It was Saturday night in downtown San Diego, and J Street near the Petco Park baseball stadium was bustling.

Fans of the hometown Padres, many decked out in team gear, packed the bars and restaurants with more waiting in line and happy to do so after a year of pandemic lockdown.

Source: Baseball lifts San Diego’s spirits. Can it revive a pandemic-stricken U.S. economy? | Reuters

Arts & Humanities, Books & Reading, Film & Movies, Games, Libraries, Science & Health, Television, Web & Technology

Is there a scientific case for literature? A neuroscientist novelist argues yes | Salon.com

Illogical as it might seem, there may be an evolutionary reason that humans love consuming fiction

By Erik Hoel, April 18, 2021 11:30PM (UTC)
A parent and child tell each other stories inside a cosy tent lit up in a dark room of their home (Getty Images)

You do something strange every day. You consume fictions. It’s such an omnipresent habit, shared by all, that we rarely consider the oddity of it.

I’m a fiction writer myself, but I’m also a neuroscientist, so this activity fascinates me. What’s the cognitive utility of learning things that aren’t true? We’re evolved biological beings who need to understand the world to survive, and yet all facts we learn about Hogwarts are literally false. How can any of this information be useful?

Still, fictions surround us. I grew up in my mother’s independent bookstore and I’ve been a writer since I can remember. A significant change in my lifetime is that media, like TV channels, books, magazines, and films, have been condensed into a single one-stop shop: the screen. I call this the supersensorium. Screens are now supermarkets for entertaining experiences. Such easy access to fictions means we often binge watch, we stuff our faces.

The average American adult spends about half their day consuming screen media.

–from article

Source: Is there a scientific case for literature? A neuroscientist novelist argues yes | Salon.com

Current Affairs, Food & Drink, Games, Las Vegas, Nevada, Science & Health, Travel

Las Vegas set to come out of Covid-19 better than ever | CNN Travel

Matt Villano, CNN • Published 14th April 2021

Virgin Hotels Las Vegas opened this March.
Courtesy Virgin Hotels

(CNN) — More than a year into the Covid-19 pandemic, this desert city is looking bigger, bolder and better than ever.

New casino resorts, innovative restaurants, expanded convention space and one-of-a-kind cultural destinations characterize the latest iteration of Las Vegas, which continues to reinvent itself in the face of adversity.

Heck, Elon Musk even built an underground tunnel and transport system that’s opening soon.

Featured image caption: The pool at Circa Resort & Casino is called Stadium Swim. Rum Tongue Media/Courtesy Circa Resort & Casino

Source: Las Vegas set to come out of Covid-19 better than ever | CNN Travel

Arts & Humanities, Books & Reading, Film & Movies, Games, Libraries, Memories & History, Web & Technology

National Library Week: Welcome to Your Library, In Person or Virtually | Inside Adams: Science, Technology & Business

April 7, 2021 by Natalie Burclaff

This post was written by Lynn Weinstein a Business Reference Librarian in the Science, Technology, and Business Division.

On wifi in front of Justin Morrill Memorial & Harris Library, Strafford, VT. July 2011. Photo: Robert Dawson, photographer. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Rights restricted, used with photographer’s permission.

This year’s National Library Week (April 4 – 10, 2021) is being celebrated with the theme “Welcome to Your Library,” which recognizes the importance of delivering library services beyond the traditional brick and mortar library, particularly during challenging times, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic.

In the past year, we have seen libraries respond to patrons’ needs by providing curbside service and opening for school children needing internet access to complete homework assignments, as well as for seniors requiring computers to make vaccination appointments.

Some library workers have been recruited by their communities to serve as contact tracers because of their reference interviewing and organizational skills.

Source: National Library Week: Welcome to Your Library, In Person or Virtually | Inside Adams: Science, Technology & Business