Alternative Westerns?

So, I'll preface this by saying that I'm a fan of westerns, both of the traditional nature, or the alternative type. (I'll address my definition of alternative western further on in this.) Unfortunately, though, I don't see many of these types of roleplays on this website, so I thought I'd make an interest check to see if anyone else has an interest in this.

What do I mean by alternative western? Well, I'm sure you're all familiar with the traditional western; all of those John Wayne and Clint Eastwood movies that take place in the American West during the 19th century - and sometimes the early 20th. But, those aren't the only types of fiction you can consider a western. In fact, the western genre can be applied to many other types of fiction...

And, without further adieu, I will present a list of ways the western can be used, and by extension, the alternative types of western that I'd be interested in roleplaying.

Space Western/Sci-Fi Western

Science fiction is probably the genre that most easily translates to westerns. The final frontier and all that. I've had a story idea floating around in my head for quite some time, and that would make it easier for me to get things going.

I'd also like to point out the difference between a space western and a sci-fi western. A space western generally takes place in the future where society in general has access to advanced technology and space travel. Whereas, a sci-fi western is a story that takes place during the American West during the 19th century, but there's certain advanced technologies available. Firefly is a good example of a space western while Cowboys vs. Aliens is a good example of a sci-fi western.

I'd be open for either one.

Japanese Western

First of all, I'd like to point out that by 'Japanese', I'm not referring to anime or manga. While I don't have a particular dislike for anime or manga, it's usually safe to say that I'm also not a huge fan of it either.

What I mean by 'Japanese' is more to do with more ancient and traditional Japanese culture. I'll admit that this pair has always intrigued me. If you compare feudal Japan with the American West, you'll find that there are a lot of similarities between the two eras, at least in the manner that they're both romanticized.

Although a space western/sci-fi western might be easier to do than a feudal Japanese style western, in some ways I'm more interested in doing the latter type since it isn't quite as common.

Fantasy/Supernatural Western

While this is an interesting pairing and may be more difficult to pull off than the first two, it's entirely doable in my opinion. You could include races from high fantasy (elves, dwarves, orcs, etc.) into a western-type environment, or it could be set in a western environment where people have the ability to use magic with monsters and other supernatural creatures present. It could even include some horror where a supernatural monster or monsters are after people who are in the American west.

Post-Apocalyptic Western

This too has a range of options available, particularly as far as the definition of post-apocalyptic goes. It could be a natural disaster that destroyed a large portion of the population. It could be a nuclear event that had similar results. Or, it could even be Armageddon where demons and angels wage war on Earth while some of the human population also remains. Some of these post-apocalyptic scenarios could fall under another category, such as sci-fi or fantasy/supernatural.

Now, I hope I haven't bored you with my wall-o-text. If any of these ideas strike your fancy, please feel free to say something. If you have any ideas, questions, or suggestions, you are also more than welcome to voice them.

Thanks for reading!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/lXKw1fZIzaw/viewtopic.php

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Report: Apple to release updated phone this summer

NEW YORK (AP) ? Apple is set for a possible summer launch of the next iPhone, rather than a fall launch like the last two models, according to a report Tuesday in The Wall Street Journal.

Apple Inc. is also working on a cheaper iPhone model that could win it some market share in developing countries, the paper said. It cited unnamed people "familiar with the device's production."

The report is in line with the expectations of company watchers and Wall Street analysts. The iPhone 5 costs around $600, and while Apple maintains older iPhones in production, even those aren't cheap enough to compete effectively against low-end smartphones running Google Inc.'s Android software.

Apple doesn't comment on future products before its launch events. Its executives usually emphasize that the company's goal is to make the best products, not the cheapest ones.

The Journal said Apple is set to start production of the new iPhone within the next three months. It's apparently relying on sources among the Asian companies that supply components for the phone and assemble it.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-04-02-US-TEC-Apple-iPhone/id-e175c2113d304830a8701ef5a36ef28a

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BlackBerry's Peculiar BBM Music Service Slated To Shut Down On June 2

BBM Music, I hardly knew ye (seriously, I never got the chance to play with it). In an email sent out to the service's users earlier tonight, BlackBerry announced that it was officially pulling the plug on its curious BBM Music service on June 2 though the email admits the date is "subject to change".

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/yzmtmnVIIUs/

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First turtle genome shows beauty more than shell-deep

Rebecca Summers, reporter

(Image: Tracey Haynes Photographs)

When hibernating, western painted turtles can freeze solid and stop breathing. After a long winter without oxygen, submerged in ice-covered ponds, they just wake and pick up where they left off.

(Image: Tracey Haynes Photographs)

An international team of researchers have sequenced the turtle genome looking for novel genes to explain these unique physiological adaptations. However, the turtles don't rely on unique mutations for their superpowers. Instead, they find new ways of activating commonplace gene networks.

For example, the researchers identified 19 genes in the brain and 23 in the heart that are activated in low-oxygen conditions, including one gene, APOLD1, which was expressed nearly 130 times as much as normal. These genes also are present in humans, so they are good candidates to explore for treatments for tissue damage due to oxygen deprivation.

"This is a back-door route for turtles to evolve," says co-author Patrick Minx?of The Genome Institute at Washington University in St Louis. "Rather than evolve new genes, they adapted existing genes for new uses."

Journal reference: Genome Biology, DOI: 10.1186/gb-2013-14-3-r28

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/2a56cc82/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Cshortsharpscience0C20A130C0A40Cturtle0Egenome0Bhtml0Dcmpid0FRSS0QNSNS0Q20A120EGLOBAL0Qonline0Enews/story01.htm

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Cal rallies past Georgia to reach first Final Four

California head coach Lindsay Gottlieb, right, is embraced by Layshia Clarendon after the team beat Georgia in overtime in a regional final in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament, Monday, April 1, 2013, in Spokane, Wash. Cal won 65-62. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

California head coach Lindsay Gottlieb, right, is embraced by Layshia Clarendon after the team beat Georgia in overtime in a regional final in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament, Monday, April 1, 2013, in Spokane, Wash. Cal won 65-62. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

California's Layshia Clarendon (23) puts up a three pointer during the second half in a regional final in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament, Monday, April 1, 2013, in Spokane, Wash. California beat Georgia 65-62. (AP Photo/Jed Conklin)

California's Afure Jemerigbe drives past Georgia's Shacobia Barbee during the second half in a regional final in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament, Monday, April 1, 2013, in Spokane, Wash. Cal won in overtime 65-62. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Georgia's bench reacts during the final moments of their game against California in the second half in a regional final in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament, Monday, April 1, 2013, in Spokane, Wash. California beat Georgia 65-62. (AP Photo/Jed Conklin)

California head coach Lindsay Gottlieb is hugged after her team beat Georgia in overtime in a regional final in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament, Monday, April 1, 2013, in Spokane, Wash. Cal won 65-62. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) ? California coach Lindsay Gottlieb was in elementary school the last time a West Coast women's basketball program not named Stanford reached the Final Four.

Gottlieb understood the drought and the difficulty in getting to the national semifinals. That's partly why the grin on her face was so wide Monday night when Cal finally snapped that 25-year streak, sending the Golden Bears to New Orleans for the Final Four.

"These kids are brought in," Gottlieb said. "So many things go into it and then you have to get a little lucky and then things have to go right, so I'm really conscious of this is special."

Layshia Clarendon scored 17 of her 25 points in the second half and overtime, and California rallied from 10 down with less than 7 minutes left to beat Georgia 65-62 in the Spokane Regional final, advancing to the national semifinals for the first time in school history.

Long Beach State in 1988 was the last team from the western part of the country other than Stanford to reach the Final Four. During that 25-year span, eight different programs in the West reached the regional finals. But whether it was Long Beach State, Washington, USC, UCLA, Colorado, Utah, Arizona State or Gonzaga, they all came up one game short of advancing ? sometimes at the hands of Stanford.

Not these Golden Bears (32-3), who were picked by President Barack Obama to win the regional in his bracket.

"This is still better than my wildest dreams," Gottlieb said.

The loss ended Georgia coach Andy Landers' hope of reaching the Final Four for the first time since 1999. Georgia last reached the regional finals in 2004 and this was the Lady Bulldogs' 11th trip to the regional finals.

And it nearly became Landers' sixth Final Four.

"They made more plays than we did and they deserve to win the game," Landers said. "I'm disappointed, but I'm proud of our basketball team and the run that we have made."

Shacobia Barbee led Georgia (28-7) with 14 points and 10 rebounds, but the Lady Bulldogs' surprising postseason run that included an upset of Stanford came to a painful end.

"I don't think the words can even explain right now. Disappointed, hurt," said Georgia's Jasmine James, who had 11 points before fouling out. "To have something that you've always wanted to be able to do, just be so close, and to end up getting outworked for it, it hurts."

California will go to the Final Four on the side of the bracket completely blown open by the stunning loss of top-ranked Baylor in the regional semifinals. The Golden Bears will play Tennessee or Louisville in the national semifinals.

It didn't look like another game awaited the Golden Bears, who trailed 49-39 with 6:46 left after Barbee hit a pair of free throws. The Bears got back in it by halftime, overcoming a horrible shooting start, but each run early in the second half was rebuffed by the Lady Bulldogs. Cal missed 18 of its first 19 shots to start the game.

Finally Cal found an answer. Afure Jemerigbe hit her first 3-pointer after missing her previous six attempts. Clarendon scored four straight points and Talia Caldwell got a bucket in the paint. Caldwell then hit a putback of Jemerigbe's missed free throw to tie it at 50.

Tiaria Griffin missed from 3-point range for Georgia and Cal's Brittany Boyd was fouled driving to the rim by James, her fifth foul, leaving Georgia without its floor leader. Boyd hit both free throws and Cal had its first lead since 17-16.

Not having James on the floor had an immediate effect. Georgia turned it over on its next two possessions, helped by a pair of blocked shots by Jemerigbe, the second with 51 seconds left.

But the Bears' free throw struggles that nearly cost them in the second round against South Florida returned when Jemerigbe missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 27 seconds left. Griffin missed another 3-point attempt, but Anne Marie Armstrong got the rebound and scored with 8.5 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. It was Georgia's only field goal over the final 7:45.

"Our whole season has prepped us well for this night," Caldwell said. "Our team's been there, we have done that, so we knew what we needed to get done."

Georgia went up 55-52 when Khaalidah Miller hit a 3 to start overtime, but the Bears then took command. Jemerigbe hit a 3-pointer with 2:48 left to give Cal a 59-55 lead and Clarendon added a rebound putback for a 61-55 advantage with 1:26 remaining.

Barbee hit a pair of free throws with 1:03 left, but instead of fouling, Georgia chose to play defense. Clarendon made them pay, spinning away from Barbee and hitting a 15-footer with 37.9 seconds left for a 63-57 lead.

Georgia got within 64-62, but Clarendon split free throws with 2.1 seconds left and Barbee's desperation shot was off.

"I was smiling a lot in the second half even though we were losing," Clarendon said. "This is why you play basketball for these big moments. Really enjoy them and just relish them."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-04-02-BKW-NCAA-Georgia-California-Folo/id-c86ef442ff294c7186aa831cf1adbac9

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SEC Embraces Social Media (WSJ)

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Timeline: A month of provocations from North Korea

North Korea has delivered a drumbeat of war threats and ominous announcements since March 7, when the United Nations Security Council imposed sanctions against it for conducting a nuclear test in February. Here are the most significant:

? March 7: Before the U.N. vote, a spokesman for Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry says North Korea will exercise its right for a pre-emptive nuclear attack against the United States.

? March 8: The North says it will cancel a hotline and a nonaggression pact with rival South Korea.

? March 11: Following through on a threat made the previous week, Pyongyang says it has nullified the 60-year-old armistice ending the Korean War. South Korea and the U.N. say the North cannot end the pact unilaterally.

? March 12: North Korea state media report that the country's leader, Kim Jong Un, urged front-line troops to be on "maximum alert" and warned that "war can break out right now."

? March 20: Coordinated cyberattacks in South Korea knock out computers and servers at three major TV networks and three banks. The source of the attacks remains under investigation but North Korean involvement is suspected. A week later, organizations of North Korean defectors say their systems were also attacked.

? March 22: The North condemns a U.N. resolution approving a formal investigation into its suspected human rights violations and says it will ignore the measure.

? March 27: North Korea cuts a military hotline to its Kaesong industrial complex, which is jointly run with the South and is the last major example of inter-Korean cooperation. Operations at the complex continued.

? March 29: Kim convenes an "urgent operation meeting" of senior generals just after midnight, signs a rocket preparation plan and orders his forces on standby to strike the U.S. mainland, South Korea, Guam and Hawaii. State media quote him as saying that "the time has come to settle accounts with the U.S. imperialists."

? March 30: North Korea warns that "inter-Korean relations have naturally entered the state of war," and that it would retaliate against any U.S. and South Korean provocations without notice. It says in a statement that provocations "will not be limited to a local war, but develop into an all-out war, a nuclear war."

? March 31: The Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party warns that North Korea's nuclear weapons are "the nation's life" and will not be traded even for "billions of dollars."

? April 2: North Korea's atomic energy department says it will restart facilities at its main Nyongbyon nuclear complex, including a plutonium reactor and a uranium enrichment plant. The U.S. says it would be "extremely alarming" if Pyongyang follows through.

? April 3: North Korea bars South Koreans from going to their jobs at the Kaesong industrial complex, and also closes the border to trucks carrying raw materials for the factories.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/timeline-month-provocations-north-korea-064556766.html

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