Halo 3 Video Game Hits The Ground Running
Unless you have been on a desert island for a while you have probably heard that microsoft has a video game called Halo 3 that was recently released. It has been all over the news lately as journalists, gamers and the entire video game industry are raving about it in a high profile manner. Some are even calling it the biggest event in entertainment history.
Even if you have no interest at all in video games, chances are you have heard about this one. just about every television news show and news oriented website on the Internet has run some kind of story recently about the September 25, 2007 release of Halo 3, which makes it kind of hard to not know anything about this new video game.
The Halo video game franchise is a very successful one and it has a rather significant following behind it. Serious video game enthusiasts consider it to be the best first person shooter game of all time. The fans of this game are members of what is called the Halo Nation and they are as devoted as any Trekkies or star Wars fans. Many of them waited in long lines outside retail stores that sell video games in hopes of being the first one in their inner circle of gamer friends to buy and play Halo 3.
Some retail stores like the best Buy store in New York City and EB Games in Los Angeles held special events at the stroke of midnight on September 25 to sell Halo 3 to eager customers who literally did not want to wait any longer than they had to in order to get their hands on this popular video game. With eager fans like these beating down the doors of their local stores to purchase Halo 3, microsoft reportedly made 150 million dollars in the first 2 days of sales.
Bungie Studios, which is a division of microsoft released the first of the Halo video games, Combat Evolved in 2001 and the franchise has been a hit ever since. Numerous other products have been created around this video game including a few more video games, a variety of action figures and five novels. It has become quite a cultural phenomenon in the world of entertainment.
Halo 2 was released on November 9, 2004 and by February, 2005 more than 9 million video games had been sold. Halo 2 shattered records for sales of video games up to that time. Halo 3 is expected to break those records relatively quickly.
microsoft is expected to make about 560 million dollars from the sales of Halo 3 video games with a 90 percent profit margin. They will also sell millions of Halo 3 versions of their Xbox 360 video game consoles that are already on the market. Millions of dollars will also be made from online live video game versions and there will be a lot of money made from action figures and other trinkets.
The Halo series is based around a futuristic setting in which humans battle aliens across the galaxies with sophisticated weaponry. The main character is named Master Chief Petty Officer SPARTAN-117 and the name Halo refers to a large, round structure. Master Chief is clad in futuristic body armor and he is armed to the teeth with technology and weapons. He is fully equipped to do battle with aliens.
microsoft has spent about 55 million dollars so far on Halo 3. About 25 million of that was spent on development. A dream team of computer programmers and artists numbering in the hundreds was assembled for the making of this project. They worked full time for over 3 years to create what some are calling a truly amazing interactive video game experience. The top level employees of this team are expected to be paid 20 million more in bonuses. The rest of the budget is being spent on marketing and promoting this highly anticipated Xbox 360 video game.
While microsoft will be spending 15-20 million dollars on television marketing, this is a paltry sum for the amount of promotion they will be getting overall. Big corporations like Burger King, Pepsi and Pontaic will be footing the bill for the rest of the publicity as they hitch their products to this giant among video games.
Last year at this time it was nintendo Wii, Playstation 3 and PSP by Sony that were getting all the media attention. right now it is microsoft and Xbox 360 games that are in the publicity spotlight. The recent release of the video game Halo 3 along with products like video game consoles for Xbox 360 with the Halo 3 name on it will undoubtedly put them back on top of the video game industry once again.
Yoga And Meditation Dvds
Yoga Position - What Does Each Type Do?
I often wondered what the value of each type of yoga position is, so I did some research to find out. All yoga positions help to develop strength and flexibility. Yet the type of yoga position that you do also offers some very specific benefits.
Standing poses
They are included in many poses and they help to align your feet and body. This type of yoga position is especially useful in improving your posture. Standing poses strengthen your legs while simultaneously increasing flexibility in your legs and hips. They add to the mobility of your neck and shoulders and they increase the flexibility in your pelvis and lower back. One of the most basic standing poses is Mountain Pose.
Seated poses
These poses help increase flexibility in your hips and lower back, while also strengthening your back. They add suppleness to your spine and elasticity to your hips, knees, ankle and groin. They also encourage deeper breathing, which contributes to you feeling calm and peaceful.
Forward Bends
This type of yoga position helps stretch your lower back and hamstrings. Forward bends also release tension in your back, neck, shoulders, and increase the flexibility in your spine. They often promote a sense of calmness. I find forward bends particularly challenging since I have a considerable amount of stiffness in my neck due to an old gymnastics injury. This is the type of yoga position where I often use a prop such as a strap or block.
Back Bends
They open your chest, rib cage, and hips. They strengthen your arms and shoulders, while simultaneously increasing flexibility in your shoulders. They help relieve tension from the front of your body and hips and they also increase spinal stability. You should always do back bends as a complement to forward bends in order to maintain balance in your body.
balance
Although balance poses can be challenging, I find them to be some of the most fun poses to do. They help you develop muscle tone and coordination and also strength and agility. They help improve your posture because you really need to elongate your spine in order to keep yourself from falling over. This type of yoga position helps train your mind to focus your attention; if your attention if not focused, you will not be able to do the pose.
Twists
I love to do twists. Twists release tension in your spine and increase shoulder and hip mobility. They also help relieve backaches by stretching and opening up your back muscles. I often experience tightness in my upper back and twists help me loosen up this area. It is important to always do twists on both sides of your body in order to ensure alignment and balance.
Supine and Prone poses
Supine poses are done on your back. They help stretch your abdominal muscles, they open your hips, and increase your spinal mobility. They release tension and strengthen your back, arms and legs.
Prone poses are done facing the floor. They strengthen your arms and back and open up your hips and groin. They relieve tension and increase flexibility in your spine. One of my favorite prone poses is Extended Seal because I find it very relaxing and it helps stretch out my shoulders and upper back.
Inversions
This type of yoga position develops strength and stamina, particularly in your upper body. It also increases circulation because since your legs are higher than your heart, it reverses the normal flow of blood. Inversions help pull fluid out of your feet and legs, so they are great to do after you have been standing up for a long time. Advanced inversion poses require a great deal of strength and alignment and should only be learned under the guidance of a certified teacher. People with glaucoma, pregnant women and those who are menstruating should avoid inversion poses.
relaxation poses
relaxation poses are usually done at the end of a yoga practice. They calm your mind and body and encourage a deep feeling of relaxation. This type of yoga position is often one of the most challenging poses to do, particularly for Westerners who often have a difficult time letting go. One of the most well-known relaxation poses is Corpse Pose.
There are hundreds of poses in yoga and they all provide wonderful benefits for your mind and body. By understanding each type of yoga position, you can choose a well rounded practice with asanas from each type or do those that meet your bodys needs at any given time.
Della Menechella is a yoga and fitness enthusiast who has been involved in fitness for over thirty years. Here website http://www.beauty-fitness-yoga-source.com/ is filled with practical information about how you can make yoga and fitness a positive part of your life.
Yoga In South West New York
