Clips

Sims Free Play App to Release on Android

With the anticipated release of the Sims Free Play app on the Android Market this month, fans are ecstatic about testing out the new gaming interface.

The Sims has evolved with time, reaching millions in its fan base. The Sims series is based on a simulation of life. In some sequels the gamer can play as a pet, while in others they start off at birth and literally live life through a video game until their character dies.

“Anyone can learn how to interact with practice,” said Gamestop employee Levelvet Spears. “It’s entertainment and practical life situations all wrapped into one. It seemed like a crazy idea for a video game, but it’s the videogame that everyone has that human connection with.”

It’s the human connection that makes Sims so popular with gamers. As in life, daily interactions with other Sims players mean dealing with love and the fluctuating moods of friends and family day to day.

Since its February 2000 debut on PC, the Sims series has grown exponentially with this year being its twelfth anniversary. The Sims series is available on every major gaming console and portable device from the PlayStation 3 to the Ipad. The love of Sims from generation to generation of releasing newer versions of the game is why Sims has literally gone universal. Ride a rollercoaster, argue with your partner, pull a prank- anything imaginable can be done in this virtual world. With the Sims Free Play app at the tip of ones fingertips, not only will users be able to play at home, but they can play while commuting, at leisure, or at any moment in-between.

Application developer and colleague, Temonthy Toles said it’s not easy to develop an app, especially one that the public thoroughly enjoys. He has encountered a ton of troubles while developing his action fighting based app for Android.

“The format change from iOS to Android is a huge leap,” Toles said. “It takes a lot of work to hone in on every feature of the game because codes can sometimes cause glitches and glitches cause unhappy consumers. Apps take a lot of time create, and with the Sims, that’s a project that can take years to perfect.”

What makes this app different from the others in the series is explained its title: “Sims Free Play.” In other words the app is completely free to download and play.  While all previous releases cost fans to download, this one is free to all Android and iOS (Iphone) users.  With a fan base of 127,000 on Twitter and nearly 500,000 downloads to date, Sims Free Play is projected to top its sales from its last release.

Though the date is not exact, Sims Free Play is expected to release sometime this month. What makes Sims Free Play different from any other game in its franchise is the ability to play in real time with live updates, which enables users to keep up with their Sims characters throughout the day while following their time zone. For example if its 3pm central in the time zone the gamer is playing it, it will be the precise time of that calendar day in the video game.

In addition, more features for customizing the Sims world and unlockable content have also been thrown in the mix for a more realistic gaming experience. Gamers will be able to play with every aspect of life, whether it is a daredevil attempt that nearly leaves your Sim’s character lifeless or finding true love and getting hitched.

Upcoming Sims releases will be even more contemporary.  For instance, six time Grammy nominee and pop singer Katy Perry will be in the next Sims release called Sims 3 Showtime, exclusively for PC. In this version, gamers can become singers, circus acts, and DJs alongside Perry. In this realm of the Sims, they can start out as a struggling entertainer and climb to fame with the help of friends from social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Bonus content includes downloadable venues, Katy Perry themed fashions, and an autographed poster from Katy Perry.

 

Coach McFerrin and the Lady Tigers

A day before the Lady Tigers’ opening game in Conference USA, Coach Melissa McFerrin told students how the ladies train, condition, and interact with the coach on and off the court.

Conference USA is a college athletic conference with participating colleges in the southern states, which also participates in the NCAA’s Division 1 (an athletic division consisting of over 1,000 teams). The Lady Tigers accepted the invite to Conference USA after another team turned down the offer.

The Lady Tigers had a successful run last season and according to Coach McFerrin, the ladies will not rest on past accomplishments, but continue learning, playing aggressively, and holding the title as one of the best teams in the country.

“The best basketball teams that I have been associated with are the most physical basketball teams,” McFerrin said.

Although she does not insist on boasting about the team’s national recognition, Coach McFerrin says her two best players are Brittany Carter, nominee for the Naismith Watch List Honor, and senior point guard Ramses Lonlack have lead the way for the Lady Tigers to hold a 19-5 record so far this season. This season she plans for the Lady Tigers to come back stronger than ever, with the kick off game this Saturday at the FedEx Forum at 4 p.m. against UCF.

So far this season, the Lady Tigers have defeated Marshall and Houston University. Senior forward Jasmine Lee gave the team another claim to fame, being named the CollegeSportsMadness.com C-USA Women’s Basketball Player of the week for the third time this season.

The Lady Tigers are even trained during the summer months. According to the coach, the best teams are created from relentless conditioning, being willing to get dirty in practice and in play.

Coach McFerrin spoke of how she is just not a coach for the Lady Tigers, but a mother, a mentor, a leader to guide them and help them fully develop as they move into adulthood

“I see myself as authority figure certainly, a disciplinarian, a mother, a mentor, a reference for their first job.”.

The players should know how to pay bills, parking tickets, and things as practical as getting cable installed according to Coach McFerrin. These are inherent duties that the ladies will face when they enter the world.

Coach McFerrin says she developed this method of coaching in her earlier years from a mentor that advised her. She says that she does not make professional decisions without consulting the athletic director at Central Michigan University and her former co-worker Nancy Darse of Ohio State University. These humble beginnings are what helped pivot Coach McFerrin’s career in women’s basketball.

With the guidance of Melissa McFerrin and her daring tactics, challenging drills, and undying efforts the team is not destined for over achieving, but prepared for turmoil, whether they win or lose, they remain modest on and off the court. As for the success of the Lady Tigers, there are many more challenges ahead and the best of luck from Tiger Nation on the road to come.

 

Zoo Melier

The Memphis Zoo is more than just for a child’s whim. Adults can have just as much fun, with over 250 wines and live entertainment.

Each year since 2007, the Memphis zoo has hosted a beer tasting event, but starting last year a wine tasting emerged. The Zoomeliér, a wine tasting event, originated from the Zoo Brew, a beer tasting event that currently displays one hundred types of international beer.

Communications specialist Tiffany Langston says, “we wanted to try something different, yet educational at the same time.”  Langston says the guests will be able to ask vineyard owners what foods (besides a variation of cheeses) complement the wines best and how to put a twist on some of the most common recipes.

The idea of the Zoomeliér came about from the Zoo Boo. Sister to the Zoomeliér, the Zoo Boo commenced five years ago and has grown to become an even bigger hit each year. This year over 1,500 people attended. The Memphis Grizzlies are one of the many sponsors that promote this event.

Among this year’s wine, there will be samples from the vineyards of Oregon, Washington, and California. Tasters can also order these wines from local vendors. The goal of both the Zoo Brew and Zoomeliér are to expose locals to international culture and the significance of the various types of methods used to ferment grapes.

Last year included wine mainly from America’s east coast, but this year more international wines from countries like South America and Europe will be added to the wine guide. This year marks the second anniversary of the Zoomeliér and the fifth for Zoo Brew. While the wine guide for this year’s tasting has not been revealed, the Memphis Zoo expects a multitude of people compared to last year’s attendance of 600.

In addition to wine, the live entertainment will feature the zoo’s very own house band. “It adds fun to the atmosphere. It’s more than just a wine event, it’s a social gathering.”

All proceeds from this event go to feeding the animals and updating exhibits throughout the zoo and its ever expanding effort to inform and entertain not only Memphis, but tourists from around the world that help give the Memphis Zoo its international appeal. There are a number of expansion projects underway, including computer labs to give an individualized learning experience to grade school children.

If you would like more information about the Memphis Zoo, visit memphiszoo.org or call (901)-276-WILD. The Zoomeliér tickets are available to members for $55 and non-members for $60 until October 14 midnight. The event opens to the public the next day, October 15, from 7 to 10 p.m.

 

Technology Guru Kevin Slimp

Kevin Slimp, technology expert, and creator of the pdf file, says reading newspapers on Ipads will soon be commonplace.

The well-noted inventor of the pdf file gave three lectures this past week on campus. Slimp spoke of how technology has significantly changed the infrastructure of journalism, with new methods of reporting and advertising.

“Five years ago, we were discussing blogs, podcasts, vodcasts and flash animation.”

Today, these formats are widespread. Consequently, in the ever-changing world of journalism, professionals must keep up with the latest technologies such as twitter and facebook, high-end tools, such as the Zoom Hz digital audio recorder, and emerging editing programs such as Final Cut Express.

Kevin Slimp created the Pdf file in 1994 and has since then developed ideas for other technological advances like the html5 format envisioned as the next popular file format for saving documents.

The transition of newspapers from print to web based is beneficial to the consumers, according to Slimp’s proposition. The increase of Ipad sales “has all other tablets 9 to 1.” The increase in sales gives newspapers a chance to do more online advertising, which explains why “ad sales are up 20% from last year.”

“They (newspapers) are the cock roaches of the business.”

Slimp said community newspapers get more success for paid content. In May 2010 all major newspaper corporations decided that news can’t be given away for free, which inspired the pay model. Slimp says that because generated business is guaranteed among smaller communities “people are more loyal to smaller community newspapers.” This is because the availability of news is on a smaller scale.

The increase of a technologically literate world does not in any way threat the productivity of print. Search engines like “Google is the number one source” for informing and becoming informed. This means that journalists frequent search engines like Google to get informed on a current story and to bestow further the knowledge of the public by acquiring information from around the globe.

Newspaper subscriptions enable readers to not only read in print, but online as well. Due to the versatility of technology, subscribers can read the latest in news via laptop or Ipad.

 

U of M Garden

The campus garden has an unexpected budget of $71,000 for the current school year.

“This never happens. We got more than we asked for,” said Dr. Buddington, director of garden committee.

Three years ago, Buddington,started the community garden with some of her own money and help from 13 people who built the  main garden . At the commencement of the gardens, the green fee committee was awarded $30,000 post of the proposal letter.

Three years later this amount has more than doubled, being awarded $71,000 for the enhancement of the garden. Although Dr. Buddington requested $62,000, she was awarded $9,000 more than expected by the Green Fee Committee. With these funds, she plans to welcome more students to enjoy the beauty of nature in all its essence, by adding benches and other attractions to the main garden and also create a registered student organization.

The main garden behind Elma Roane Field house has 52 raised garden beds bearing an array of herbs, peppers, eggplant, watermelon, and other crops. Thanks to the green fee committee, any student, campus resident or commuter can harvest any plant of their choosing. In addition to the main garden, there are several satellite gardens located around campus.

Now that the budget for next year’s garden has been approved, Dr. Buddington has plans to expand the garden with events such as a potato harvesting, a pumpkin carving contest and a make over to the main garden, with eerily themed decorum. She also plans to grow winter crops.

Students interested in gardening can attend the meetings held by the Garden Committee every Thursday at 2:30 p.m. in the Physical Plant building. “This garden is not mine, it is ours,” said Dr. Buddington.

 

River City Writers Series: Randall Keenan

Despite a change in location and problems with the sound and lighting systems, author Randall Kenan still captivated participants Monday evening with a reading from one of his works in progress at the University of Memphis River City Writers Series.

Randall Kenan read a tale of the fictitious community of Tims Creek, N.C. during the 1950s, a time of racism, hostility, and the struggle for one to find his identity. He spoke of ridiculed Indian named Jesus and how hatred and envy of another race stemmed from cultural illiteracy and societal ignorance.

“The voice in his stories is seasoned and aware, with a deep sense of time. Rich in meaning and layers of memory, these stories linger in the mind like songs,” said Cary Holladay, director of the series.

Keenan is the third author to read for this semesters’ series. He has been nominated for the Los Angeles Times Book Award for Fiction for his collection of stories, Let the Dead Bury Their Dead and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.

“I wanted to write since I was 4 years old. I have always been interested in comic books, fiction and horror,” Kenan said.

This year marks the 35^th anniversary for the series, one the longest running reading series in the nation. Since its start in 1977, the series has included notable writers such as Seamus Heaney of Ireland and Derek Walcott from St. Lucia, who both are recipients of the Literature Nobel Prize.  Among American writers, Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation, has also read from his book the unveiling of a grotesque scene of slaughterhouses across America that are here to serve the public.

“We are delighted to bring high profile contemporary writers of fiction, poetry and non fiction to the University of Memphis community,” Holladay said.

At Monday’s event, some students were confused about a change in location. After relocating to the

UC Theater, Holladay dealt with additional problems with the light and sound systems.

There were more problems once Kenan started reading. He apparently printed the wrong version. He jokingly eased his way out of embarrassment.

“Well I’ll just make s­hit up,” he said.

A list of the readings are available online at memphis.edu. In the spring, The River City Writers Series will welcome writers Lloyd Blount Jr. and our very own Professor Sonya Livingston.