The Downsides Of Video Gaming

I used to play video games regularly. In fact, you could say that I was addicted to them. Despite this, it wasn't too long before I realized that after a very short time of playing video games, my ability to concentrate on real life issues would be impaired to an alarming degree. What's more, I also discovered that I was much less even-tempered and tended to be more aggressive towards others. Surprisingly, this didn't seem to be connected to the type of game I was playing, in other words, playing non-violent games didn't make me any less aggressive.

Another noticeable downside to gaming was that after having played for a reasonable length of time, I would often find myself feeling drowsy and lethargic after finishing a gaming session.

My most worrying symptom however, was the continuous need to play more video games. I began to understand what an addiction must feel like. I am convinced that the video games I played had taken a profound hold on me to a possibly dangerous degree. It affected my personal relationships, my work and my social life. Looking back, I find it hard to believe what a mess my life had become. Fortunately for me, I have an understanding and supportive partner who helped me work through my problems and I came out the other side a stronger and enlightened person.

I am still a video gamer but, after setting myself some rules and making sure that I adhere to them, I'm now a happy gamer.

I believe that people who matter, such as physicians, parents, partners, teachers etc., should start taking some positive action to understand, and deal with, these most insidious side-effects of gaming in order to stop this problem from becoming a national epidemic.

Video games are a great source of enjoyment but need to be played responsibly. Take a look at New Xbox Games for tips and ideas on how to play safely as well as some gaming bargains.

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Sonora High School Adult Education Program To Expand Classes (MyMotherLode.com)

Sonora, CA -- According to Instructor Rich Murrison the Sonora Union High School Adult Education Program will be expanding its class schedule next year.

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An Irex Iliad Review

The Irex Iliad occupies a position at the higher end of the e-book-reader market. Carrying a hefty price tag, and boasting features that most other e-book readers don't, it's clear that the Iliad is aimed more toward the business end of the market. So just how viable is an Irex Iliad for your average e-book reading person?

My Impressions

The first thing you notice with the Irex Iliad is the size of its screen, it's a lot bigger than that of it's main competitors, the Sony Reader and the Amazon Kindle. It's build however leaves something to be desired. Unlike the Sony Reader which has a metal shell, the Iliad is cased in smooth plastic that as some have suggested; from certain angles looks more like a prototype. Running down the length of the Iliad is a flick bar for moving back and forwards through the pages, this is quite a nice feature and makes the sensation of flicking pages quite like that of an ordinary paper book. All interaction with the Iliad can be done through it's touch-screen facility with the use of the provided pen. The touch screen is perhaps what sets the Iliad apart from its competitors. Such features as making handwritten notes on top of e-books while reading give the Iliad a more sophisticated air than perhaps other e-book-reading devices. The Iliad also comes with a WiFi ability but with fairly limited functionality. There is no internet surfing option.

One very annoying trait of the Iliad is it extremely long boot-up time. After flicking the power switch, you can expect to wait around 40 seconds before the machine is fully functional. Its boot up time is comparable to that of a modern PC. This is troublesome in light of the fact that other systems such as the Sony Reader only take around 3 seconds to boot.

Supported Format

The Iliad supports the usual array of e-book formats:

• PDF
• XHTML
• TXT
• Mobipocket

The support for Mobipocket was a later addition to the Iliad software in response to a high demand for this media format. Mobipocket gives Iliad users access to a plethora of materials usually distributed though various websites. Mobipocket books are usually purchased online from where they can be downloaded directly to the system. No e-book reader would be palatable without support for PDF documents. There are some considerations to take into account however. The PDF format is designed to display contents on screen exactly as they will be displayed on the printed page. This means that materials produced for A4 page sizes will not display perfectly on the Iliad screen which is considerably smaller than A4. There are things that you can do to make viewing these kinds of documents better however; one such "fix" involves putting the Iliad into landscape mode which effectively splits the page in two and gives a large viewing size. Although not perfect, in comparison to other e-book-reader products, the Irex Iliad does offer better handling of PDF files due to its larger viewing area.

Final Thoughts

The Irex Iliad certainly isn't perfect. It's biggest detractors are firstly the huge price tag, and secondly the extremely long boot time. Once the system is up and running however, the features and usability are surprisingly refreshing. I can't help but feel that the Iliad is more a work in progress than a fully polished system. Irex are constantly releasing firmware updates for the device which is a major selling point. While primarily aimed at business and industry, for someone willing to part with a lot of money, the Irex Iliad is certainly one of the best devices on the market at the moment.

Richard Merry
E-books and Readers

My name is Richard Merry and I'm a computer studies graduate. I'm currently studying Spanish though my primary interest remains information technology.

E-books and Readers

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