Cannon

A cannon (plural: cannon or cannons) is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellants to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in calibre, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees, depending on their intended use on the battlefield. The word cannon is derived from several languages, in which the original definition can usually be translated as tube, cane, or reed. In the modern era, the term cannon has fallen into decline, replaced by "guns" or "artillery" if not a more specific term such as "mortar" or "howitzer", except for in the field of aerial warfare, where it is often used as shorthand for autocannon.

First invented in China, cannon were among the earliest forms of gunpowder artillery, and over time replaced siege engines—among other forms of ageing weaponry—on the battlefield. In the Middle East, the first use of the hand cannon is argued to be during the 1260 Battle of Ain Jalut between the Mamluks and Mongols. The first cannon in Europe were in use in Iberia by the mid-13th century. It was during this period, the Middle Ages, that cannon became standardized, and more effective in both the anti-infantry and siege roles. After the Middle Ages most large cannon were abandoned in favour of greater numbers of lighter, more maneuverable pieces. In addition, new technologies and tactics were developed, making most defences obsolete; this led to the construction of star forts, specifically designed to withstand artillery bombardment though these too (along with the Martello Tower) would find themselves rendered obsolete when explosive and armour piercing rounds made even these types of fortifications vulnerable.

Cannon (automobile)

The Cannon was an automobile manufactured in Kalamazoo, Michigan, by the Burtt Manufacturing Company from 1902-06. They made several different tonneau models, with both two- and four-cylinder engines, up to 6.5L displacement.

See also

References

Cannon (band)

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Cannon were a five-piece, instrumental post-rock band, based in Glasgow, Scotland.

History

Cannon was formed in early 1999 by guitarists David Philp, Stuart Henderson, and Jonny Williamson. The band lineup was completed by the addition of Andrew Gifford of Fiddlers' Bid on bass and drummer Tom Pettigrew.

Gigging throughout Scotland, Cannon played alongside bands such as Interpol, Bis, The Cooper Temple Clause and Medal, as well as appearances at music festivals such as Truck in 2001 and T in the Park in 2002. The band were championed by DJ Vic Galloway, their records getting regular play on his BBC Radio Scotland show, "Air", and they were invited to record a live session for the show.

Pettigrew left the band in late 2001 and was replaced by former Juliet Turner and Duke Special sideman Tim Harbinson. Gifford left several months later, and was replaced by Craig Sinclair.

Cannon disbanded in 2003. Philp went on to play in Glasgow 'horror blues' band, Uncle John & Whitelock, and was guitarist on Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan's 2008 European tour. Harbinson went on to join electronica band Laki Mera along with Trevor Helliwell, Cannon's sound engineer. Philp, Gifford and Pettigrew later formed Adopted as Holograph, playing gypsy influenced folk music.

Nightmare

A nightmare is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety and great sadness. The dream may contain situations of discomfort, psychological or physical terror. Sufferers often awaken in a state of distress and may be unable to return to sleep for a small period.

Nightmares can have physical causes such as sleeping in an uncomfortable or awkward position, having a fever, or psychological causes such as stress, anxiety, and as a side effect of various drugs. Eating before going to sleep, which triggers an increase in the body's metabolism and brain activity, is a potential stimulus for nightmares. Recurrent nightmares may require medical help, as they can interfere with sleeping patterns and cause insomnia.

Etymology

The word "nightmare" derives from the Old English "mare", a mythological demon or goblin who torments others with frightening dreams. Subsequently, the prefix "night-" was added to stress the dream-aspect. The word "nightmare" is cognate with the older German term Nachtmahr.

Nightmare (Atmosfear series)

Nightmare is a horror video board game released in 1991 by A Couple 'A Cowboys and J. W. Spear & Sons as part of the Atmosfear series.

The game is set in a place known as "The Other Side". This place has six Harbingers, each of whom has authority over a Province. To play the game, each player adopts the persona of one of the Harbingers: Gevaudan the werewolf; Hellin the poltergeist; Khufu the mummy; Baron Samedi the zombie; Anne de Chantraine the witch, and Elizabeth Bathory the vampire. The final character in the game is the Gatekeeper, whose job is to ensure that the other characters do not escape from The Other Side.

Gameplay

The game requires 3–6 players to attempt to collect keys while trying to beat the clock included on the video cassette. At random intervals, the game stops and The Gatekeeper appears to either taunt, reward, or penalize the players in a variety of ways. Prior to beginning the game, the players are required to write their "greatest fear" on individual slips of paper. The game is won by collecting six special keys before making it to the center of the game board where the player draws a 'fear'. If that player draws someone else's fear, the tape is stopped and that player is declared the winner. If no one is able to accomplish this within 60 minutes, The Gatekeeper is declared the winner.

Nightmare (French band)

Nightmare is a power metal band, native of Grenoble, France. The band was influenced by the New Wave of British Heavy Metal phenomenon developing in the UK in the 1980s and started their career playing classic heavy metal, that later changed to power metal with death and thrash influences.

Biography

Early career

Nightmare was formed in 1979 and became known when opened for Def Leppard at the Alpexpo of Grenoble in 1983, in front of an audience of more than 4000. They signed for the label Ebony Records, which published the album Waiting for the Twilight. The LP entered the charts in Japan and was distributed in Greece by Virgin Records. Nightmare replaced singer Christophe Houpert with Jean-Marie Boix to record their second album Power of the Universe. Shortly after, the band terminated its partnership with Ebony Records and the album was reissued in France by Dream Records. Their new label was soon subjected to financial difficulties, which delayed the release of an LP the band was working on. In addition, Jean-Marie Boix was forced to leave the band because of health problems. He was replaced by Scottish singer Tom Jackson (ex- Praying Mantis), hoping that his vocal qualities and his mastery of the English language could help the success of Nightmare on the other side of the Channel. This incarnation of Nightmare produced a demo with two songs and did a few shows in France and England, with moderate success. However, dissension between the musicians about the musical direction for the band, whose music was veering toward AOR, led to disbandment in 1987, closing for more than a decade the career of Nightmare.