Wavefront Technology As Applied to Vision Correction - Is it For You?

Lasik surgery is perhaps the most common type of surgery that is performed in the US. Lasik is a type of surgery that changes the shape of the cornea to help correct the vision. Lasik surgery is a common procedure where a laser is guided to correct the cornea. However there are new developments in the Lasik eye surgery procedure and one major development has been the custom Lasik surgery.

Let us understand what custom lasik surgery means here. In the conventional world the Lasik eye surgery is used to correct the vision whereby using the laser the surgeon corrects the cornea. In the custom Lasik surgery the doctor uses the results from the laser to detect the aberrations and then use those results to direct the laser to a correct place on the cornea. In a nutshell, the laser is used for two things one is detecting the aberration and then uses the individual customized results to direct the laser.

Wavefront technology is not very new though it has been only a few years since the Wavefront technology has been used in the eye surgery area. Astronomers used to apply this technology to adjust the optical lenses of their telescopes. There is a reflecting mirror in the telescope which is constantly adjusted based on the information the Wavefront data sends about the deformities or aberration in the atmosphere.

The scenario is something similar in the human vision area where the Wavefront technology is used for doing two things. One is the detection of the aberrations and then other is corrections of the aberrations using this data received while detecting aberrations. Now the data received is different for every individual and hence customized. That is why in the Lasik world this is known as custom Lasik and the normal Lasik surgery is known as conventional Lasik surgery.

The manufactures who make this Wavefront responsive technology available to doctors are only four in the United States. These come with trade names like CustomCornea, CustomVue and Zyoptix. These three are customized Lasik solutions and the last one by the trade name Wave Light Allegretto does not use customized data but uses the data which was derived in the laboratory to guide the laser.

The Wavefront diagnosis is done using light which is sent into the eye using a specific pattern and if there are aberrations then light will come out in a wavy pattern. Then there are higher order aberrations which can only be detected by Wavefront diagnosis. Conventional eye exams can only detect lower order aberration particularly related to cylindrical and spherical aberrations.
So make sure to ask you doctor about conventional as well custom Lasik and evaluate your options.

The author has a website guiding people looking for rhinoplasty before after affects of nose job.He recommends patients asking the doctor about rhinoplasty before and after results of previous patients to know what they will look like after surgery.

SPACE.com - Every once in a while, something will appear in the night sky that will attract the attention of even those who normally don't bother looking up. It's likely to be that way on Monday evening, Dec. 1.

Xbox 360 Freezing - How to Get Rid of it Today

Have you ever been playing a game on your Xbox 360 only to have it freeze up in the middle of play? This is an especially frustrating experience that can occur quite frequently. Any progress that you might have made in the game will be lost, and you will have to restart the console to get the game going again. Why does this happen, and what can be done to prevent it? The Xbox 360 is an amazing piece of hardware, but it suffers from a number of design flaws. Overcoming those flaws will allow you to truly enjoy the console. Read on for some great tips on how to prevent Xbox 360 freeze ups.

The first step in preventing these annoying halts in gameplay is to understand why they occur in the first place. The Xbox 360 functions much like a desktop PC, with a CPU, GPU, and motherboard providing the processing power for gameplay. Unlike most personal computers, however, the Xbox 360 is built solely for gaming. Under normal circumstances, a personal computer runs at less than its maximum potential. An Xbox 360, however, is always running with its CPU and GPU processing as much as possible. This produces an incredible amount of heat. The heat generated during gameplay, in fact, is hot enough to melt the soldering that holds the CPU and GPU to the motherboard. When the soldering has melted, the CPU or GPU may lose electrical contact with the motherboard. When this happened, you will notice the "three rings of death" on your power button. This is a surprisingly frequent problem, and thousands of Xbox units have been returned with this malfunction. Once this has happened, all that can be done is to ship the unit back to Microsoft for repair.

What about those troublesome freeze ups? When this occurs, the Xbox is attempting to save itself from overheating by shutting down automatically. The easiest way to prevent more frequent freezing is to give the unit time to cool down. When the Xbox is immediately restarted it will most likely shut down again before too long. This can also cause damage to the motherboard, leading to the three red rings. When the Xbox 360 shuts down, leave it to cool down until the case is no longer hot to the touch. In order to prevent freezing, make sure the hot air vents on the unit are placed so that they can properly vent the heated air. This alone is sometimes not enough to prevent freezing by itself.

For more protection, consider placing a fan next to the air vents, blowing cool air into the unit. The Nyko Intercooler is specifically built to attach to the back of the Xbox 360, providing much needed ventilation for the unit. This can be a worthwhile investment, as it can prevent the unit from breaking down due to overheating.

This article is by Richard Goldie the owner of http://fix-xbox-cure.blogspot.com/

For more info on xbox fix please click on the above link.

AP - Edna Parker, who became the world's oldest person more than a year ago, has died at age 115.

X-Men Legends - Christian Game Review

X-Men Legends is based on the 1963 comic book, "The Uncanny X- Men." A tale about a group of mutants led by Professor Charles Xavier, the world's most powerful mutant with mental abilities, learning how to deal with society's hatred toward them. The X-Men compose the following members with their codenames: Storm, Jean Gray (the only one who doesn't go by a codename, go figure), Cyclops, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Rogue, Colossus, and Iceman (just to name a few). Xavier formed the X-Men to fight threats to mankind, to teach the X-Men how to control their powers for good, and to one day hopefully live peacefully side by side with society.

Plot and Gameplay: 4.5 out of 5.0

X-Men Legends (XML) was masterfully crafted by a group of former Marvel comic writers called 'Man of Action.' The story centers around Alison Crestmere who possesses the mutant ability to control lava even changing her human form to a flaming version of herself. Hence, she earns the name of 'Magma'.

Magma is thrusted into the limelight after the grotesque, obese mutant called the Blob of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (the antagonist mutant team who is lead by the immensely powerful Magneto) kidnap Magma. Why would Magneto need this girl? Immediately, the player is controlling Wolverine hot on the trail of the Blob and to find out why Magneto desires this particular mutant.

XML is a fan boy's dream comes true as you finally get to control the X-Men in a Role Playing Game (RPG) fashion instead of the individual most gamers are used to playing them.

The game requires a player to go through various linear missions in order to solve Magneto's plot from the Artic to the Sewers (yes, those who are use to RPG know that no RPG would be complete without a trip to sewers, right? Thanks, JadesFire.). There are times where an X-Man will go off on a solo mission. So the freedom is not there to explore without limitations compared to RPG's like the Final Fantasy Series or Morrow wind.

XML strategically tucks away puzzle elements in the game forcing the player to make use of a X-Man's powers needed to continue on their quest. Unfortunately, the developers hold players by the hand displaying a large 'X' over areas that can be affected by a character's powers. If a player has the wrong X-Man, backtracking is allowed and Xtraction points can be used to change team members.

Graphics/Visual Presentation: 4.25 out of 5.0

Activision, during the earlier stages of XML, had made a smart move to leave the traditional bit images for the X-Men for cell shading technology. This brilliant move makes the player feel as if they are turning the pages of a virtual comic book. Each character is detailed just enough to tell them apart. Enemies and bosses are not very impressionable in appearance (not on par as DOOM 3) yet well done over all. The lighting effects are good quality when a player unleashes Cyclops' eye beam or Jean Grey's Psychic Scream. The environments are destructible which makes interesting eye candy when a player utilizes an X-Man's power on walls, generators, chairs, etc. The developers were cautious to include some detail (such as Blob's massive footprints in the street when Wolverine is on his trail) yet not to the point of overkill. There are some clipping issues (graphics that melt into another by mistake) yet these are easily overlooked. The cell shading cut scenes are slightly embarrassing (The X-Men look like puppets in this environment. Think "Thunderbirds" from the old television show series). Fortunately, the developers redeem themselves by adding more detailed cut scenes that will astound you in their cinematic feel.

Sound Quality: 4.75 out of 5.0

XML's biggest strength is the voice acting for the X-Men (the only exception is Cyclops whose dialogue in battle sounds like a bratty, smart aleck teenager than the rugged leader of the X-Men). Fans of the series will get goose bumps as Patrick Stewart breathes life into Professor Xavier's lines and the witty comments of Wolverine will cause chuckles for sure. Foley artists did a superb job in producing punching and kick sounds, explosions, and sounds for the X-Men's powers. While the music is not powerful orchestral pieces (personally, this would have made the gaming experience much more rousing), sleepy music selections are sadly the norm. The music can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. Music rushes in when enemies are near (a great way to warn the player of impeding danger) and can be soft music that loops over and over with no direction.

Violence: 4.75 out of 5.0

A RPG would be hard to do without conflict and battle and XML does not pander to over the top violence crowd.

[SPOILER AHEAD]

The only blood visible in the game is when the X-Men infiltrate a military base and discover that General Kincaid is experimenting with humans and Sentinels (the blood is on the surgery floors). X-Men and enemies beat each other without any visual consequences even when Wolverine uses his claws on a foe. Powers as well do not cause any visual damage to ally or foe alike.

Language: 4.25 out of 5.0

Unfortunately, there are some parts that I cited as concern for me as a Christian. Nightcrawler, in the comics and in the game, professes to be a believer in God. He comments when he levels up: "My God, I am invincible!" or "I can beat the devil himself." These comments bothered me in light of such Scripture as Exodus 20:7 ("Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain") and Proverbs 16:18 ("Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall"). Cyclops, surprisingly, tells his brother Havok to 'go to hell.'

Sexual Content: 4.75 out of 5.0

Psylocke, an X-Man, dresses in tight leather pants that reveal the suggestive outline of a thong when she fights. There is an option to change her costume to a more conservative one.

Spiritual Content: 4.50 out of 5.0

Magneto's power hunger makes him think that all mutants are like gods. Magneto, in thirst for revenge against humans, created his own line from Genesis and the creation story by stating that: 'on the eight day, I looked down on creation and said, 'Let there be darkness.'" Nightcrawler, unashamedly, mentions God in a positive light in regards to his faith.

[SPOILER AHEAD]

X-Men also have to go to the Astral Plane to save Professor Xavier whose mind and assumedly soul is trapped in this dimension. This can be looked as touching the New Age or Eastern philosophies.

Value: 4.0 out of 5.0

As a RPG, XML soars in the action, gameplay, and storytelling departments. When a player finishes the game though, XML crashes and burns on replay value. Once a player has completed the game, there is not much left to do. A player cannot go back with high level up X-Men to play the game a second time around (I peaked my team between levels 35-37). The Danger Room offers unlocked characters as well as multiplayer or player vs. player matches. A player can view all concept art, cinematic, and load screens. Other than the Danger Room, the excitement level wanes rather quickly.

Christian Rating: 4.25 out of 5.0

Positive: The X-Men truly teaches about teamwork and how each member cares about each other. As a player goes through the storyline, a true sense of unity is felt as the story unfolds about each X-Man's life and what they struggle with. Sacrifice and harmony is seen through their actions, a far cry from most games on the market today.

Negative: X-Men's theme of evolution is present as an explanation for their powers as a result of man getting better over time. However, the Bible is contrary to these beliefs. As a Christian, true power only comes from God Almighty (Ps. 62:11) and without Him; we are nothing (John 15:5). God alone is the Creator of mankind and any other 'power' outside of Him is definitively questionable (Ec. 12:1). The Astral Plane is the realm where only psychics can go in the X-Men Universe. This can be likening to the spirit realm where even Saul tried to contact the dead by the witch of Endor (1 Sam. 28).

Overall Outlook/Score: 4.50 out of 5.0

X-Men Legends, although not a perfect RPG, is a quantum leap in the right direction for the franchise. The premise of teamwork, sacrifice, and unity are great pillars holding the story together as well as good vs. evil. This premise is a great reminder of the need to be selfless in this day and age. Christian parents would be wise to remind their children about the murky view of evolution from the prism of creationism, where true power comes from, and the 'Astral Plane' in view of Scriptures. After the agonizing shoddiness of Activision's failed "X-Men: Next Dimension" (a fighting game), X-Men Legends gives a much needed jolt to the possible dying hopes of fans desiring a solid X-Men game. This is a game I could honestly recommend for one's library without shame.

Review supplied by Christian Spotlight's Guide to GamesTM, a ministry of Eden Communications. Copyright Eden CommunicationsTM, a ministry of Films for Christ

Griffin J. Lilly Jr is sensi and pen warrior of Samurai Freelancing. From his humble beginnings as a frustrated English major to a breakout rising star on the writing market, you can count on him delivering for you the very best your project desires. You may contact him if you want to hire his service, and more important, he is a sucker for Japanese seafood buffets and tempura.

AP - Shoppers, who had snapped their wallets shut since September, flocked to stores before dawn Friday to grab deals on everything from TVs to toys on the traditional start of the holiday shopping season, feared to be the weakest in decades.

Piano Lessons - How to Gently Extend the Practice Session for Beginners

Parents are often disappointed in the length of time their children spend at the piano practicing. Most parents think their children should be practicing longer, and they're probably right. What parents don't usually get, however, is that for young beginners it takes practice to learn to how practice! To overcome this learning gap parents initially need to focus on process and content rather than product.

Since everything is new to young children, it's a mistake for parents to assume too much. For example, you may think it would be obvious to your child in piano lessons that they need to play their pieces more than one time, but this just isn't the case with children. Most children assume that because they played a song once at home they have indeed practiced! What the young student doesn't understand is the piano learning process. Help your student by outlining a process that will result in improvement. To do this students need two things.

1. A goal; 2. Specific practice habits that will support that goal. Example for Beginners:

Goal: Assignment - Play Song on Page 8 in C Position 7 times each day Good Habit 1 - Keep Your Eyes on the Music (Don't Look at Your Hands) Good Habit 2 - Sing the Note Names as You Play Them

Beginning songs for children take approximately 1 minute to play. Multiply by 7 and you have 7 minutes of practice. Not a long time, but with good habits this can be very affective initially and achieves the goal over a week of practice. If your child has two pieces of music assigned, that's 14 minutes of practice. If your child does this for a few days, however, they will know their pieces so well that they won't need to play them 7 times. Three times would then be enough. That makes the practice session shorter, not longer. Starting with 10 minutes a day of practice for a young beginner is reasonable.

As students learn more skills, their assigned music pieces become longer and more complex, and thus the practice time as it naturally makes sense to do so. The practice session can gradually extend to 15 minutes, then 20, then 25 until the student knows how to apply themselve at the piano for 30 minutes.

The focus at the beginning should not be solely on length of practice, but on daily practice strategies that are effective. In this way young students gradually gain the musical foundation of skills they need to play more complex music that will require more time to learn. By focusing on weekly goals and specific habits that apply strategy to learning students acquire a repertoire of practice habits that develop skills they can rely on to learn more difficult music and practice longer.

To learn the best way to share the gift of music with children visit Amazon.com for my Piano Bears Musical Stories for Children The exciting Piano Bears Musical Stories for children ages 5 to 11 feature the loveable characters, Mrs. Treble Beary and her new piano student, Albeart Littlebud. Children love following along with Albeart to Mrs. Treble Beary's piano studio in Musical Acres Forest. Here they learn what piano lessons are all about in a fun way that kids readily understand and appreciate! Piano students laugh and giggle while reading "Little Bear's Musical Garden" and "Little Bear's Piano Goals."

For a wealth of f'ree information and piano music online visit Piano Bears Music Education Resources Don't Wait to Share the Gift of Music!

AP - Ethiopia announced Friday that it will withdraw its forces from Somalia by the end of the year, leaving this country's weak and fractured government to face an increasingly powerful Islamic insurgency.