Could We See A Xbox 360 Portable?

With the success of the nintendo DS and the Sony PSP, it should come as no real surprise microsoft wants a piece of the pie.

BusinessWeek is reporting that microsoft is considering entering the market themselves, with a new multimedia device that would incorporate gaming.

Peter Moore, would not confirm such a project but did say that "any microsoft media device would have to leverage the company's most significant consumer strength, video gaming."

If microsoft were to create such a device, would it be more like an xbox handled or more of a PocketPC PDA with gaming functionality. Moore says about the xbox brand, "It can't just be our version of the iPod... I think the brand is an opportunity."

On the gaming side, Nintend's DS and Sony's PSP are at the top of the market, with both offering someting unique.

If microsoft does go ahead with just a project, they would have to decide whether-or-not it would be part of the Xbox brand. BusinessWeek points out that "If the new device comes with the xbox brand, most consumers will view it as a game player, like Sony's PlayStation portable. That might limit its appeal, since the portable gaming market is much smaller than the one for digital media."

The Method Baby Mom Pre Natal Yoga 2001

Woodland Verses Links Golf Courses - Which One Wins?

Many people believe that the word 'links' refers to the way the end of one golf hole defines the beginning of the next - rather like the links of a chain. This is not so but it actually comes from the Old English word 'hlinc' meaning a stretch of flat ground along the seashore. And that is exactly what it is like. Sea on one side, land on the other (often the houses on the edge of the town form the boundary). It is a naturally occurring terrain usually on a well drained sandy soil.

The parkland course on the other hand is 'purpose built' and is often much more hilly and varied in terrain than the links course. Also, the presence of trees offers a different kind of hazard from those found on a links. Each course has its own type of problems and challenges but the links course probably calls for rather more 'invention' or 'adaptation' in the way the shots are played.

Parkland courses are usually set in an area not infrequently wooded to some degree and often with heather, gorse, sand bunkers and sometimes water in the form of ponds or lakes. However, the main difference between links and parkland is that the latter is much more obviously manufactured. This is not said by way of criticism since inland courses by definition have to be manufactured. The quality of the course though is more to do with the skill of the designer and how much this "manufactured-ness" shows. The optimum use of the space available and the incorporation of existing natural features - woods, trees, water, ups and downs - are where the architect can bring his creative powers to bear.

A links course on the other hand is usually a much more rugged proposition. It's a completely natural setting - too 'natural' for some people - where the wind from the sea plays a much more prominent part in the game. The nature of the terrain forces you to adapt your shots to the prevailing conditions and the lie of the land. One great advantage though is that being on sandy soil it does tend to drain well and very quickly so the surface remains firm and playable all year round.

Nevertheless it is no place for the complaint 'It's not fair'. Life isn't fair on a links and you have to brace yourself for that. You could hit a perfect drive straight up the fairway only to have it finish up on a hanging lie with three huge bunkers between you and the green two hundred yards away.

The distances on your scorecard will be accurate but useless. I have played at Turnberry where one of the par threes is an eight iron in the morning but a three wood in the afternoon - and it was nothing to do with the port at lunch.

Playing out of the rough is a different game; the whins and other grasses can twist your clubhead and make the ball behave in quite a different way when trying to chip on to the green from the rough. Don't expect to play to your handicap on your first visit to a links course - even in sunshine and no (apparent) wind. You need to be able to 'read' the elements and this comes only from experience. Why do you think so many canny golfers chip and run from so far off the green?

Unlike the parkland course where the course is manufactured, the links course demands that the shot is manufactured.

But all in all it's a great challenge - never the same from one day to the next. One compensation however for these difficulties is that you will not encounter many trees. Which brings us back to parkland golf.

Essentially, unlike the natural design of the links, this is down to the skill of the architect. Everybody accepts that golf courses are 'constructed' but the trick is to make them look as natural as possible and, in the case of some of the great inland courses, it works! It requires a number of criteria to be fulfilled: first and foremost it must be a challenge to the world's best - and must be accepted as such. It must have variety - every hole must be individual but the 'whole' must have a personality. It must be fair and not just playable by top championship players and, lastly, it must be aesthetically pleasing. Such a course would be Sunningdale - a club blessed with two of the great courses where every hole is a world unto itself. So whether your preference is for links or parkland I hope you manage to get the round you've dreamed about on the course of your choice.

Good golfing!

Peter has been playing golf for over 5 decades, when he is not writing about playing golf he is writing about it. You can access online golf lessons and pick up valuable tips by visiting his website.

Yoga Cl Yoga Clothing Weightloss

Fix Your Xbox 360 - Red Ring of Death - 3 Red Rings

The xbox 360 has had one problem that has plagued many people who have bought the system and it has been called the "red ring of death." Nobody knows why it happens or how but up until now you had to send your xbox 360 away to microsoft and in some cases even pay to have it repaired. But now people have figured out how to fix it themselves and for far less then the cost of a repair.

A lot of people think the "Red Ring of Death" comes from overheating which in turn short circuits something in your xbox 360. Nobody really knows but there have been suggestions to buy a cooling device, wrap it in a towel, basically if you do a search on any search site you will be bombarded with ideas from good to bad. But you shouldn't just do anything to your xbox 360 because after all, you did pay a couple hundred dollars for this system.

The problem has been acknowledged by microsoft to be widespread and there has been reports of people buying a new xbox 360 and having the "Red Ring of Death" appear within days. They bring it back to the store and exchange it for a new xbox 360 only to have it happen again. This can be a very frustrating and the reason is occurs is unknown. Luckily there has been research done by people on the internet who have had the problem and it looks like there has been progress made on finding out how to fix your xbox 360 if this does happen to you.

Yoga Zone Total Health 3pack28dvd29