X1 Football Helmet Incorporates New Technology to Protect Players From Concussions

A lot of attention has been paid to the dangers of concussions in football since the death of former NFL defensive back Andre Waters and the release of a report that indicated concussions were tied to depression in ex-NFL players. Those incidents have led the NFL to undertake several new initiatives and, across the nation, football programs from the high-school to professional levels are taking a more proactive approach to preventing head injuries. A former Harvard quarterback and his innovative company are also contributing to the cause with their newest invention - the X1 football helmet.

The X1 is the product of Xenith LLC, a company established in 2004 by Vincent Ferrara - a Harvard quarterback in the mid-90s and a graduate of Columbia's business and medical schools. Ferrara founded Xenith with the mission of advancing safety and activity through innovation and education, and the company is currently focusing most of its attention on finding ways to reduce concussions through new technology. Much of the technology Xenith has developed so far is featured in the X1, which incorporates an innovative head protection system not currently seen in any other helmet. The system is called Xenith Adaptive Head Protection, and it's comprised of patent pending "Aware-Flow Shock Absorbers" and a new fitting method known as "Fit Seeker". According to Xenith, the combined effect of these two technologies is designed to reduce the risk and severity of concussions and other traumatic brain injuries.

Here's how the system works: the X1 is equipped with 18 Aware-Flow Shock Absorbers embedded between the outer shell of the helmet and a flexible interior head piece. Each shock absorber is a lightweight, hollow disk made from thermoplastic urethane, with a small hole in the center that allows air to flow in and out. Unlike the foam in standard football helmets, the shock absorbers respond differently to high, medium and low impacts. The disks absorb a low-impact hit by slowly letting air out and compressing. But with a more forceful (high-impact) hit, air pressure inside the disk creates greater resistance - slowing down the speed at which the disks compress even further. The overall purpose of the X1's shock absorption system is to reduce the sudden movements of the head that often cause concussions. Meanwhile, the "Fit Seeker" component assures that the helmet doesn't go flying off during impact.

Recently, the X1 football helmet received approval from the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) - a nonprofit organization that commissions research and attempts to establish standards for athletic equipment. No word yet on whether the NFL is looking into this new technology, or when the X1 will be available for retail purchase.

You can find more information about Xenith and the technology involved in the X1 football helmet at http://www.xenith.com

Shad Connelly,
Executive Editor -
Invention & Technology News (http://news.inventhelp.com)

AP - Prosecutors have offered a plea deal to an 8-year-old boy charged with murder in the shooting deaths of his father and another man in their eastern Arizona home, court records show.

X Box 360 "Ninja Gaiden II" Review

This video game is a beautifully designed, graphically alluring, and completely not the kind of game you want your eight year old to play. But if you are looking for the ultimate fighting demons and monsters type of video game, X Box 360 has one just for you.

The features in this very realistic battle to the death video game are enhanced to the point that you won't believe your eyes. The blood looks incredibly real, even if you are playing very close to the screen.

If you are familiar with the original "Ninja Gaiden" you will find the "Ninja Gaiden II" has some dramatic new changes such as bigger areas to fight in, more opponents to fight and enlarged the size of opponents. There are also new weapons to choose from which you can upgrade as you move forward through the video game. X Box 360 has done a bang up job improving on what was already a great game. They have kept the aspect of magic but there is no more importance in making better monsters or demons than solving puzzles and such.

This video game does include a story line but the best part of the game is the fighting and killing of the beasts and the friends that go along with them. The weapons of choice are the swords and the ability to upgrade your sword enables you to kill bigger and more dangerous monsters. Only certain swords will kill certain monsters, so the levels you complete, the better your sword is, the better chance you have to make it through this addictive video game.

The original "Ninja Gaiden" in my opinion, was a bit more challenging than what X Box 360 created with this second edition. However, that could simply be because I am accustomed to the first game and thus the second one seemed a bit easier, although still quite challenging and entertaining. Newcomers to the video game might not think so, as they have not had the experience from the first edition; either way, this video game is well worth the time and energy you put into it and I recommend it if you are looking to kick some serious monster butt.

Article by Camilla Bertelsen and the owner of http://popularvideogame.com

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Board Games That Use Deduction

A number of board games make their purpose to have players figure out a mystery, usually the murder of a character. Murder mysteries have quite a popular following in the board game world, as they generally raise the stakes higher than most other forms of mystery. With a number of suspects available, players usually race against each other to uncover information and solve the crime before the others. Sometimes, players play as the suspects themselves and other times they act as independent gumshoes. In either case, however, deduction board games are some of the most popular sources of entertainment in the gaming realm.

One such game, Orient Express, gives players the chance to use their highly developed skills of deduction and reasoning to solve an intriguing mystery. However, unlike other detective games, Orient Express doesn't end when the first player figures out the solution to the murder. The train is on a set path from Paris to Istanbul and will make its complete route before the game ends. It is the job of the players to solve the mystery within this time frame, and it is perfectly possible for more than one player to correctly solve the mystery by the time that the Orient Express reaches Istanbul.

Players begin the game by choosing one of 10 preset mysteries before the game starts. Each of these 10 mysteries has been predetermined and can only be played once. There is a common theme through all of the cases, in that a murder has been committed by one of the eight possible suspects and it is up to the players to solve the murder before the train reaches Istanbul and the murderer runs free. The eight different suspects under investigation are an actress, a ballerina, a colonel, a fortune-teller, a gambler, a diplomat, a baroness, and a count. Someone on the train was murdered by someone in that group and it is the duty of the players to discover who.

Another inventive deduction game is Mystery of the Abbey, which allows players the chance to solve a thrilling murder mystery while additionally providing a unique atmosphere to enhance the level of fun and game play. The goal of the game is to solve the murder of the unfortunate Brother Adelmo, who was discovered at the bottom of a cliff by the monastery. Twenty-four different monks live in the monastery and it is the goal of players to discover the murderer before anyone else. However, normal monastic life is still observed during this investigation, providing a number of twists during the game.

Suspects are divided into a number of different categories to distinguish them. All of the monks are either of the Templar, Franciscan, or Benedictine orders, and are either Fathers, Brothers, or Novices. They either wear hoods or they do not, are either clean-shaven or bearded, and are either fat or thin. With all of these different distinguishing characteristics, players can slowly narrow down the list of suspects until they feel confident enough to make an accusation. However, as the game progresses and players begin to learn more about the culprit, they make revelations. If these revelations prove correct at the end of the game, they can score points for the player. In the end, the player with the most points wins, making it possible to win the game without being the player who solved the murder. A unique twist on a mystery, both of these games give players the chance to play detective in an exotic setting.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for board games, chess boards, and dungeons and dragons miniatures. You will find all these things and more if you visit board games using deduction and chess boards.

AP - A church official says the clergyman credited with helping to push Congress to insert the phrase "under God" into the Pledge of Allegiance has died in Alexandria, Pa. The Rev. George M. Docherty was 97.

Tom Clancy Splinter Cell - Game Review

Endorsed by the famous American author, Tom Clancy Splinter cell is a series of blockbuster videogames. The series has in fact been so successful that it actually spawned a series of novels, written by Tom Clancy himself, under the pseudonym of David Michaels. As a brand Splinter Cell, is owned by Rubicon, which belongs to Tom Clancy himself.

The plot never changes much in the games. The world is under threat by a group of terrorists who are planning an attack using deadly WMDs (weapons of mass destruction). The hero Sam Fisher, a highly trained secret agent of the Third Echelon is sent to prevent this from taking place. The missions range from eliminating/capturing terrorists to gathering intelligence. Unlike other single person shooter games where the player has the liberty to go crazy with his submachine guns and mow down whoever comes in his path, in the Splinter Cell, stealth is the only thing through which a mission can be completed.

Killing any civilian may result in mission failure, and terminating enemy units using your noisy primary weapon, will make the mission more difficult as guards may arm themselves and start patrolling the area. In the first two games Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow an alarm goes off if Sam Fisher or one of his victim is spotted by the enemy. In these two games the missions ends prematurely if a certain number of alarms are triggered. The third game Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, features a better system in which for every alarm triggered, the enemy moves up to a higher level of vigilance. For example if you have inadvertently set off the forth alarm, enemies will stat manning all entrances and fortify all major positions and then wait for you.

The smoothest way to move forward and complete the missions is remain invisible. If you can bypass a guard without killing him then that's exactly what you should do. Sam Fisher is not Rambo; he's a modern day Ninja. He's has all the cool Ninja moves and you the player, has to use those moves to remain undetected till the very end of the mission. Splinter Cell can't be won by playing it Rambo style. A number of stealth games have claimed that their games actually force the players to use their brains rather than their guns. However, Splinter Cell is the only game that has actually managed to do this.

In Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow a new multiplayer mode has been introduced, which pits two very differently armed teams against each other. In Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory this mode is further evolved and a new co-operative mode is introduced, which features a number of slick moves which can be performed when both players act as a team.

In Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent, a new morality factor is introduced. In this game Fisher acts as a double agent and gets himself recruited by a terrorist group. Now Fisher has to fulfill conflicting objectives between the terrorists and his superiors. For example you might be assigned by the terrorists to assassinate a person, while instructed by the Third Echelon to prevent the assassination from taking place. Fascinating isn't it.

So if you haven't already played any Splinter Cell game, now is an excellent time to start.

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AP - A series of small earthquakes that rattled central Arkansas in recent weeks could be a sign of something much bigger to come.