Fiendish Freddy's Big Top O' Fun
''Fiendish Freddy's Big Top o' Fun'' is a video game developed by Gray Matter under developer Chris Gray and published in 1990 by Mindscape. It originally appeared on the 16-bit Atari ST, IBM PC and Commodore Amiga, before later being converted to the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC. The Commodore 64 version was included on cartridge bundled with the Commodore 64 Games System. Plot A greedy banker by the name of I.M. Tightwad, to whom the Big Top o' Fun circus owes $10,000, arrives on the scene with the intent of demolishing the circus tonight unless it can pay up. He plans to build a set of luxury hotels on the terrain. In a fit of desperation, the ringmaster organises a display of six events to raise money for the doomed circus: diving, juggling, trapeze, knife throwing, tightrope and the human cannonball. The performance in each event is judged by five clown judges, who offer money depending on the quality of the show. Mr. Tightwad has no intention of letting the circ ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Gray Matter (company)
Gray Matter Inc. was a Canadian video game developer based in Oakville, Ontario. It was established by Chris Gray in 1985 and disbanded in 1997. History Gray Matter was founded by Chris Gray in Oakville, Ontario in 1985. At its peak in 1995, the studio had approximately 75 employees. Gray wound down the company in 1997 due to a lack of funding. Games developed Chris Gray Enterprises Inc. Gray Matter Inc. References External links * {{MobyGames company, company=gray-matter-inc, name=Gray Matter 1985 establishments in Ontario 1997 disestablishments in Ontario Canadian companies disestablished in 1997 Canadian companies established in 1985 Defunct video game companies of Canada Video game companies disestablished in 1997 Video game companies established in 1985 Video game development companies ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Human Cannonball
The human cannonball act is a performance in which a person who acts as the "cannonball" is ejected from a specially designed cannon. The human cannonball lands on a horizontal net or inflated bag placed at the landing point, as predicted by physics. Outdoor performances may aim at a body of water. History The first "human" cannonball, launched in 1877 at the Royal Aquarium in London, was a 17-year-old girl called "Zazel", whose real name was Rossa Matilda Richter. She was launched by a spring-style cannon invented by the Canadian William Leonard Hunt ("The Great Farini"). She later toured with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, P.T. Barnum Circus. Farini's cannon used rubber springs to launch a person from the cannon, limiting the distance they could be launched. Richter's career as a human cannonball ended when she broke her back during an unrelated tightrope act. In the 1920s, Ildebrando Zacchini invented a cannon that used compressed air to launch a human cannonb ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Black Humor
Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discuss. Writers and comedians often use it as a tool for exploring vulgar issues by provoking discomfort, serious thought, and amusement for their audience. Thus, in fiction, for example, the term ''black comedy'' can also refer to a genre in which dark humor is a core component. Popular themes of the genre include death, crime, poverty, suicide, war, violence, terrorism, discrimination, disease, racism, sexism, and human sexuality. Black comedy differs from both blue comedy—which focuses more on crude topics such as nudity, sex, and Body fluids—and from straightforward obscenity. Whereas the term ''black comedy'' is a relatively broad term covering humor relating to many serious subjects, ''gallows humor'' tends to be used more specifi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Smoke Grenade
Smoke grenades used at demonstrations in Paris, 2008 upBritish L83A1 Smoke Grenade manufactured in May 2008. This grenade has already been used. A smoke grenade is a canister-type grenade used as a signaling device, target or landing zone marking device, or as a screening device for unit movements. Smoke grenades generally emit a far larger amount of smoke than smoke bombs, which are a type of fireworks typically started with an external fuse rather than a pin and are more complex. Smoke grenades often cost around compared to smoke bombs, which can often cost just a few cents. The phrase "to smoke", meaning to fake, bluff, or beat around the bush, comes from the military usage of smoke grenades to obscure and conceal movement; similarly, "pop smoke", derived from a common way of ordering the use of smoke grenades, is used as a slang term for quickly leaving a place. __TOC__ Design left, Diagram and cross section of an AN M18 smoke grenade A typical design consists of a ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jet Pack
A jet pack, rocket belt, or rocket pack is a device worn on the back which uses jets of gas or liquid to propel the wearer through the air. The concept has been present in science fiction for almost a century and became widespread in the 1960s. Real jet packs have been developed using a variety of mechanisms, but their uses are much more limited than their fictional counterparts because of the challenges of the Earth's atmosphere, gravity, the low energy density of utilisable fuels, and the human body not being suited to flight, and they are principally used for stunts. A practical use for the jet pack has been in extra-vehicular activities for astronauts because of the apparent weightlessness and lack of friction-creating atmosphere in orbit. The term jet suit is used for a system incorporating a jet pack and associated jets attached to the arms to increase manoeuvrability (e.g. the Daedalus Flight Pack). Overview In the most general terms, a jet pack is a wearable device which ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Stunt
A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat or an act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes usually on television, theaters, or cinema. Stunts are a feature of many action films. Before computer generated imagery special effects, these effects were limited to the use of models, false perspective and other in-camera effects, unless the creator could find someone willing to jump from car to car or hang from the edge of a skyscraper: the stunt performer or stunt double. Types of stunt effects Practical effects One of the most-frequently used practical stunts is stage combat. Although contact is normally avoided, many elements of stage combat, such as sword fighting, martial arts, and acrobatics required contact between performers in order to facilitate the creation of a particular effect, such as noise or physical interaction. Stunt performances are highly choreographed and may be rigorously rehearsed for hours, days and sometimes weeks before a performan ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Big Top Bunny
''Big Top Bunny'' is a 1951 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoon short directed by Robert McKimson and written by Tedd Pierce. The cartoon was released on December 1, 1951, and stars Bugs Bunny. The cartoon is available on Disc 1 in the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1. Plot At Colonel Korny's World Famous Circus, Bruno the "Slobokian Acrobatic Bear" - who, evidenced by his accent, is clearly Russian - is the star of the show. But when the Colonel gets a phone call about Bugs Bunny's talents, he agrees to put him on stage partnered with Bruno - a decision for which Bruno shows his disgust by spitting into a corner. When Bugs is introduced along with Bruno, the bear can't help but smack Bugs around a little. Bruno tries to get the better of Bugs - either by placing an anvil on top of a series of targets so Bugs can hit his head, or by not catching Bugs during a trapeze act. However, Bugs soon starts getting the better of Bruno, which includes turning the tab ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Looney Tunes
''Looney Tunes'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series ''Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation.Looney Tunes . ''www.bcdb.com'', April 12, 2012 Then some new cartoons were produced from the late 1980s to the mid 2010s as well as other made productions beginning in 1972. The two series introduced a large List of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies characters, cast of characters, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig. The term ''Looney Tunes'' has since been expanded to also refer to the characters themselves. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' were initially produced by Leon Schlesinger and animators Harman and Ising, Hugh Harman and Rudolph Ising from 1930 to 1933. [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Springboard
A springboard or diving board is used for diving and is a board that is itself a spring, i.e. a linear flex-spring, of the cantilever type. Springboards are commonly fixed by a hinge at one end (so they can be flipped up when not in use), and the other end usually hangs over a swimming pool, with a point midway between the hinge and the end resting on an adjustable fulcrum. Springboard materials Modern springboards are made out of a single-piece extrusion of aircraft-grade aluminum. The Maxiflex Model B, the board used in all major competitive diving events, is made out of such aluminum, and is heat treated for a yield strength of . The slip-resistant surface of the board is created using an epoxy resin, finished with a laminate of flint silica and alumina in between the top coats of resin. This thermal-cured resin is aqua-colored to match the water of a clean pool. Adjustment of the spring constant The spring constant of a springboard is usually adjusted by way of a fulcrum ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Summer Games (video Game)
''Summer Games'' is a sports video game developed and published by Epyx based on sports featured in the Summer Olympic Games. Released in 1984 for the Commodore 64, it was ported to the Apple II, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Atari 8-bit family, and Sega Master System. In the UK, the game was first released by Quicksilva and subsequently by U.S. Gold who later created versions for the Amiga, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and Atari ST for inclusion in compilations. In 2004 it was re-released on the C64 Direct-to-TV. ''Summer Games'' was the first in Epyx's ''Games'' series which included: '' Summer Games II'', ''Winter Games'', ''World Games'', ''California Games'', '' California Games II'', ''The Games: Summer Edition'', and ''The Games: Winter Edition. Gameplay The game is presented as a virtual multi-sport competition called the "Epyx Games" (there was no official IOC licensing in place) with up to eight players each choosing a country to represent, and then taking turns competing ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Winter Games
''Winter Games'' is a sports video game developed by Epyx (and released in Europe by U.S. Gold), based on sports featured in the Winter Olympic Games. A snow-and-ice themed follow-up to the highly successful '' Summer Games'', ''Winter Games'' was released in 1985 for the Commodore 64 and later ported to several popular home computers and video game consoles of the 1980s. The game was presented as a virtual multi-sport carnival called the "Epyx Winter Games" (there was no official IOC licensing in place) with up to 8 players each choosing a country to represent, and then taking turns competing in various events to try for a medal. Events The events available vary slightly depending on the platform, but include some or all of the following: *Slalom skiing *Ski jumping *Biathlon *Bobsled *Figure skating *Speed skating *Luge *Freestyle skiing; more precisely, the aerial skiing discipline, called "Hot Dog Aerials" in the game *Free skating The game allowed you to compete in all o ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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California Games
''California Games'' is a 1987 sports video game originally released by Epyx for the Apple II and Commodore 64, and ported to other home computers and video game consoles. Branching from their '' Summer Games'' and ''Winter Games'' series, this game consists of a collection of outdoor sports purportedly popular in California. The game was successful and spawned a sequel. Gameplay The events available vary slightly depending on the platform, but include all of the following: *Half-pipe *Footbag *Surfing (Starring Rippin' Rick) *Roller skating * BMX *Flying disc Development Several members of the development team moved on to other projects. Chuck Sommerville, the designer of the half-pipe game in ''California Games'', later developed the game '' Chip's Challenge'', while Ken Nicholson, the designer of the footbag game, was the inventor of the technology used in Microsoft's DirectX. Kevin Norman, the designer of the BMX game, went on to found the educational science software c ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |