Food for Thought from an Eye-Opening Documentary

I have written on this blog in the past about documentaries such as No End in Sight, the many fine films of Michael Moore, and Super Size Me. I like films like these since they are thought provoking and they tackle important issues. They actually make you think, and therefore they do not attract mass audiences like some of the lowest common denominator drivel that ends up making hundreds of millions of dollars. If you see a documentary in a theatre, chances are it will have many empty seats, but those who are there are impacted. The latest documentary I have seen is called Food Inc. This exposes the dirty little secrets that the industry giants who fill our stomachs do not want you to know. Only a few huge conglomerates control what we buy in supermarkets. The movie looks at how agriculture has changed and how farmers are under pressure to deliver more product. Farming requires long hours, low pay and high debt accumulation, so the farmers must do all they can to maximize their yields. Food Inc. also looks at the political system and how the giants of the food industry have so much power. It follows a woman to Capitol Hill as she lobbies for more food regulations. Her son died from eating a hamburger tainted with e. coli. There are fewer inspections of food processing plants, and this leads to more diseases. It talks about how the unhealthy food is the cheapest, and how it is expensive to eat right. Fast food is quick and easy, and especially prevalent in poor neighborhoods where obesity and related health problems are an epidemic. The film takes a look at how slaughterhouses are employing illegal aliens to work in dangerous positions where they are exploited. It talked about organic foods, and how even Wal Mart has started selling organic food due to the rising demand. Watching documentaries which paint a bleak picture of society often make us feel powerless, but at the end of Food Inc. there was advice on how we can all have some power. All of us "vote" with our wallets, and when we buy food we are telling the food manufacturers that we want more of the same. We can have power to see more healthy foods if we support restaurants, farmers markets and supermarkets who sell organic, locally grown, unprocessed, healthy food.

Nintendo's Wii System is a Groundbreaking Console

I have always loved video games, ever since the early 1980s when video arcades were thriving. Many of those arcades are gone, largely due to the popularity of home gaming systems. The Atari 2600 in the 1980s made it so people could stay home and play games rather than plugging quarters into a machine. I enjoyed my system, and spent countless hours playing games like Pac Man, Pole Position and Pitfall. Those games seem so primitive in comparison to the games we play today, but back then they were revolutionary. The Atari consoles led to gaming machines like the Nintendo 64, the Sony Playstation and the X-Box. Of course computer gaming was popular on the Commodore 64 and the Amiga, and on today's PCs. Nintendo put out the Game Cube and the DS, which allowed for portable gaming. Sony released the Playstation 2 and the portable PSP, and then we came to the current generation of gaming consoles. Sony has the Playstation 3, Microsoft has the X-Box 360 and Nintendo has the Wii. The Playstation 3 can play Blu Ray DVD discs, and all 3 of the current consoles can interface with the web if you have an internet connection that you can integrate. I bought a Wii last week, and there are a couple of things that make it groundbreaking. First, the Wii games are not played just by males of a certain age. Women as well as the elderly are finding that they enjoy games on the Wii. Second, the Wii has games where you actually move around and get some exercise. Video gamers have often been viewed as overweight men who are sedentary and play their games for hours on end. With the Wii, you can do some bowling, play tennis, baseball, do some boxing, and more. The controller's movements are picked up wirelessly by a sensor on the TV. If you move your hands, the player on the screen moves their hands. With the Wii Fit, it comes with a board you stand on and that picks up your movements. You can work on balance, you can do strength training exercises, aerobics, or yoga while in your living room. You can go for a jog on a virtual island, and you don't have to deal with rain, snow, hot or cold weather like you would if you were outside. The Wii Fit lets you set specific fitness goals for yourself. It will weigh you, and chart your progress. It really is amazing how far home video game systems have come in the past 25 years. With the current obesity epidemic in our country, I think that the Wii has come along at just the right time.

The Art of Romero Britto

I am not an expert on the art world, but I know what I like when I see it. A few years ago I saw a TV show profiling the artist Romero Britto and I have been a fan ever since. I like his use of vibrant colors, and his works reflect an optimistic, whimsical celebration of life. Simply put, his art makes me smile, and in these challenging times, we all need that. Britto is of Brazilian ancestry and he resides in Miami, Florida. He has worked on designing art for marketing campaigns for companies such as Absolut Vodka, Disney, Pepsi, Volvo, BMW and Evian. For more information, check out http://www.britto.com/.

*The Sims 8 in 1* House Collection No. 1

This is an example of an elaborate Sims house that can be built if you have all of the expansion packs. There is a car parked outside of this house and there are websites where you can download cars and other items to put in your house. The original copies of The Sims do not include cars, and your sim cannot drive the vehicle. There are sites where you can download entire houses with all of the furnishings to integrate into your game.

Will Wright and the Virtual World of The Sims

The best selling PC game of all time will celebrate its 10th anniversary next year. Game developer Will Wright created The Sims and it was released in 2000 by Maxis/Electronic Arts. Wright also created other sim games such as Sim City, Sim Earth, Sim Copter and Sim Ant. In 1989, Sim City became a big hit and it was originally designed for computer systems such as the Amiga and the Commodore 64. This was an urban planning game where you were in control of developing your own city. The Sims was in development from 1995 to 2000, and it was played on a much more personal level than Sim City.

With The Sims, you create your own characters (sims), and you can design the house they inhabit. Will Wright has called it a "digital dollhose". The game was originally designed as an architecture simulation alone. Some pre-created Sims and houses are included with the game, but the most satisfying thing to do is create your own virtual world. If you want only one person to live in your house, you can do that. If you want a man, a woman and many kids you can do that too. The player is able to design the look of the characters, from the gender, clothing type, the look of the face, body type, etc. You can give your sims different personality traits such as whether or not they are clean, outgoing, active, and the like.

My favorite aspect of The Sims is that you can design their home from scratch. You start with a bare lot and you can determine the size of the house, how many bedrooms, bathrooms, what type of wallpaper, carpet, tile, paint, will be used on the house to make it exactly as you want it. You design where the furniture goes, the size of the rooms, whether or not there are pictures on the walls, what type of doors and windows the house will have, it's all up to you. There are cheat codes which can give you unlimited money to buy furnishings for the home. Otherwise, your sim needs to get a job and as they earn money you can buy virtual home furnishings. I find using the cheat code to be more enjoyable. Homes you design can be ultra luxurious. There are lots of virtual items to keep your sims busy and entertained. Each expansion pack you buy gives you more items for your home. You can build a swimming pool for your sims, which can be indoors or outdoors. Does your sim like electronics? Give them an arcade game, or a computer, or a virtual reality headset. If your sim likes sports build them a basketball court or give them a pool table. Creative sims can paint a picture, play the piano or the electric guitar. The yard can be as elaborate or as simple as you like. You can have a yard with trees, flowers, ponds, or whatever you desire.

There is not an "end" to the game. One of the main objectives is to keep your sims happy. There are 8 gauges at the bottom of the screen that show the status of your characters emotional status. The 8 categories include; hunger, comfort, hygiene, bladder, energy, fun, social and room. If the "bladder" status is low, click on the toilet and they will use it. If the "social" status is low, have them talk to other people in the game. If the "hygiene" gauge is low, have your sim take a shower or a bath. The best way to raise your "energy" status is to send your sims to bed. For a short burst of energy, have them drink coffee or espresso. Make sure your house you design has a kitchen or else the sim will go hungry and the "hunger" status will be in the red. Your kitchen can be however you want it. You can buy a refrigerator, a microwave, a stove, a trash compactor, a dishwasher, or whatever you want. Buy a book shelf for the house and your sim can study cooking. If the "fun" gauge is low, have them watch TV, play a video game, or listen to the radio. The "room" gauge is low if the sim is in a small, dirty, or dark room. Sims like large rooms with lots of windows to let in light.

There have been 7 expansion packs released for The Sims. The Sims 2, The Sims Online, and The Sims 3 have also been released. More than 100 million copies have been sold in this franchise. Perhaps the reason why so many copies of the games have sold is that 50% of Sims players are female. This is a departure from the typically male dominated world of video games. The Sims is different from most games since it is a non-violent, non-sports, non-driving game. Expansion packs and their release dates include the following;

Livin' Large 2000
House Party 2001
Hot Date 2001
Vacation 2002
Unleashed 2002
Superstar 2003
Makin' Magic 2003

Starting with the Hot Date expansion pack, playing The Sims became more enjoyable since your characters were no longer limited to their own neighborhood. With Hot Date, there is a new part of town where your sim can take a date or look for new people to meet. The new area has restaurants, parks, retail shops and vacant lots where you can design your own retail establishments. In Vacation, you can send your sim to recreational areas where they can swim, do outdoor winter activities, and get away from the daily grind. Unleashed gives your sims the opportunity to acquire pets, and there is yet another new neighborhood to explore. Superstar has a Hollywood-like area where you can try to make your character into a music, movie or TV star. Makin' Magic has a new area with amusement parks and magic themed activities. All expansion packs have many new items as well as new lots for designing more homes.

These sims characters are not invincible. If they do not eat, they will die. Sometimes a house will catch on fire, and if the fire is not put out, either by the sim themselves or by firefighters, the sim will die. If a sim is swimming in a pool and there is no ladder to get out, they will die.

Many copycat sim games have been created where you are in control of your own world, but none have reached the overwhelming success of The Sims. One of the most popular sim-type games was Roller Coaster Tycoon where you can design your own coasters, theme park, and you try to keep your customers happy. This was released by Microsoft and they also developed Zoo Tycoon, where you run your own zoo. Will Wright worked in conjuction with the creator of the popular Civilization PC game series Sid Meier to make Sim Golf. In this you can design your own golf course. You are in control of how long the holes are, if there are sand traps, trees, water hazards, etc. Your golf course can have a clubhouse, a driving range, restaurants, a hotel, all in the name of keeping your customers happy, and to keep them coming back. You can watch customers play your course, and you can see what they like and don't like about it.

* Some information came from en.wikipedia.org.