Cover system

A cover system is video game gameplay mechanic that allows a virtual avatar to avoid dangers, usually in a three-dimensional world. This method is a digital adaptation of the real-life military tactic of taking cover behind obstacles, for purposes of attaining protection from enemy ranged or area effect attacks, such as gunfire or explosions. Similar gameplay elements can be traced back to as early as 1986, in Rolling Thunder. Later games which refined the system include Bonanza Bros., Blackthorne, Time Crisis, Metal Gear Solid, WinBack, Police 911, Splinter Cell, Kill Switch, Gears of War, Uncharted, Mass Effect and Vanquish.

Definition

In gaming, a cover system lets a player character use stationary or moving obstacles to avoid damage. To be considered a cover system, there must be some physical interaction with the source of cover and the avatar. This means standing behind an object, as in traditional shooter games, while strictly speaking would be classified as taking cover, does not qualify as an actual cover system. Some first-person shooters such as Soldier of Fortune bridged the gap somewhat by allowing players to lean to the sides, allowing the avatar to lean out from behind objects to survey the environment or open fire on the enemy, without fully moving their own bodies into the open. In addition, the player character must have the ability to move in and out of the covering objects' proximity, leaving points of vulnerability to the player. This excludes the exclusive use of portable shields as a cover system, though they may often be used to supplement a stationary source of cover, as seen in video games like Army of Two, and Gears of War 2.

Cover (algebra)

In abstract algebra, a cover is one instance of some mathematical structure mapping onto another instance, such as a group (trivially) covering a subgroup. This should not be confused with the concept of a cover in topology.

When some object X is said to cover another object Y, the cover is given by some surjective and structure-preserving map f : X → Y. The precise meaning of "structure-preserving" depends on the kind of mathematical structure of which X and Y are instances. In order to be interesting, the cover is usually endowed with additional properties, which are highly dependent on the context.

Examples

A classic result in semigroup theory due to D. B. McAlister states that every inverse semigroup has an E-unitary cover; besides being surjective, the homomorphism in this case is also idempotent separating, meaning that in its kernel an idempotent and non-idempotent never belong to the same equivalence class.; something slightly stronger has actually be shown for inverse semigroups: every inverse semigroup admits an F-inverse cover. McAlister's covering theorem generalizes to orthodox semigroups: every orthodox semigroup has a unitary cover.

Undercover operation

To go "undercover" is to avoid detection by the entity one is observing, and especially to disguise one's own identity or use an assumed identity for the purposes of gaining the trust of an individual or organization to learn or confirm confidential information or to gain the trust of targeted individuals in order to gather information or evidence. Traditionally, it is a technique employed by law enforcement agencies or private investigators, and a person who works in such a role is commonly referred to as an undercover agent.

History

Undercover work has been used in a variety of ways throughout the course of history, but the first organized, but informal, undercover program was first employed in France by Eugène François Vidocq in the early 19th century. At the end of 1811, Vidocq set up an informal plainclothes unit, the Brigade de la Sûreté ("Security Brigade"), which was later converted to a security police unit under the Prefecture of Police. The Sûreté initially had eight, then twelve, and, in 1823, twenty employees. One year later, it expanded again, to 28 secret agents. In addition, there were eight people who worked secretly for the Sûreté, but instead of a salary, they received licences for gambling halls. A major portion of Vidocq's subordinates were ex-criminals like himself.

Gigantic (TV series)

Gigantic is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on the TeenNick TV channel. The series is the first scripted show for the channel since its rebranding from The N in September 2009. It premiered on October 8, 2010.

On April 19, 2011, cast member Tony Oller announced on his Twitter account that series would not be renewed for a second season. The show's final episode aired on April 22, 2011.

Premise

Gigantic revolves around 17-year-old Anna Moore (Grace Gummer) and her younger brother Walt (Tony Oller), teens who live the lives of Hollywood "it" kids as the children of famous movie star couple John and Jennifer Moore. Anna and Walt have recently returned to Los Angeles after living in Australia for the past two years while their parents were shooting a movie. The series takes a fictional look at the complicated lives of children of Hollywood celebrities, giving an insider view of the glitz, glamour, and A-list parties of Tinseltown. It exposes the life behind the tabloids and gossip blogs, while exploring the difficulties of growing up with superstar parents.

List of Walt Disney Animation Studios films

This is a list of films from Walt Disney Animation Studios, an American animation studio headquartered in Burbank, California, and formerly known as Walt Disney Feature Animation, Walt Disney Productions and Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, which creates animated feature films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio has produced 54 feature films, beginning with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), and most recently with Big Hero 6 (2014). Their 55th feature, Zootopia, is currently in post-production, and is scheduled for release on March 4, 2016. Three features are also in development, with Moana being set for release on November 23, 2016,Gigantic set for release on March 9, 2018, and an untitled film for Thanksgiving 2020.

Films

Released

Upcoming

Gigantic (2018)

Nathan Greno (Tangled) is working on Gigantic, a computer-animated musical film, loosely based on the fairy tale Jack and the Beanstalk. It will be released on March 9, 2018.

Gigantic will be directed by Greno, while Dorothy McKim will produce.Frozen songwriters Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez will write the music for the film. Set in Spain during the Age of Discovery, the film will follow Jack as he discovers a world of giants hidden within clouds. There he befriends a female giant Inma, who is "11 years old, 60 feet tall, fiery, feisty and a lot to control" and initially treats him like a living doll. Jack agrees to help Inma find her way home, while they try to stop the Storm Giants, who stand at 120 feet, from destroying the giant community.

Pixies

The Pixies are an American alternative rock band formed in 1986 in Boston, Massachusetts. The group disbanded in 1993 in acrimonious circumstances, but reunited in 2004. The group currently consists of founders Black Francis (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), and David Lovering (drums). Co-founder Kim Deal (bass, backing vocals) left in 2013 and was replaced by Kim Shattuck as live bass player for a few months, then by Paz Lenchantin for the band's 2014 tour. The Pixies achieved relatively modest popularity in their home country, but were significantly more successful in the United Kingdom, mainland Europe and Israel. The group is credited with having an influence on the alternative rock boom of the 1990s.

The band's style of music contains a range of elements, including psychedelia, noise pop, hard rock, surf pop, and surf rock. Black Francis is the Pixies' primary songwriter and singer. His lyrics feature a number of offbeat subjects such as extraterrestrials, surrealism, incest, and biblical violence.

Fairy (Artemis Fowl)

Fairies, in the fantasy series Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer, are fictional beings, usually shorter than a human, who possess magic properties. The average height of a fairy is exactly 1 metre, one centimetre. All the fairies have retreated below the Earth to escape the destructiveness of the human race. Their underground civilization is centered on the capital city of Haven. Fairies are vernacularly known as the People, and live a life according to the Book of the People. There are 8 recognized families of fairies- Elves, Dwarves, Pixies, Gnomes, Gremlins, Goblins, Sprites and Demons. However, the centaurs have been mentioned several times, as with trolls, and the centaurs' cousins, the unicorns, were killed off, yet they are not recognized.

Races of Fairies and the eight families

The Eight Families

In Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony, it is said that 10,000 years ago, there were eight families (or species) of fairies. It is possible that Centaurs and Trolls used to live not underground but above ground, and were recruited by the fairies for the war against the Mud People (the term used by fairies to address humans). This would explain the links between many animals these two species have, and would explain why they don't have magic. Centaurs are also cousins of unicorns, so they couldn't be in the fairy family without the unicorns. The fairies, however, are mostly humanoid. Warlocks are also part of the fairy world. They are extremely magical fairies that originate under unknown circumstances.