Rock Band And Novelty In Gaming

This game is a landmark. In years to come, we will look back at this game and see that this, along with Wii Fit, became the point where it all changed.
But for the life of me, I can't see what these changes are, positive or negative.

I have no doubt in my mind that both Rock Band and Wii Fit are fun. Let's not confuse my writing with that of a negative review of these games. For me these games are the catalyst for something much more.

For anyone who doesn't know, Rock Band has the same basic music concept as Guitar Hero. Coloured bars fall from the top of the screen in time with the music, and you have to hit the corresponding colour while strumming your guitar. Except Rock Back have also added a drum kit peripheral, and a singing part, which works much the same as Sing Star for the PS2. And Wii Fit is a series of mini games, all using the Balance Board peripheral, a flat quadrangle split into four pressure sensitive areas. This is all dressed up into a miracle fitness regime, in which you can have fun and lose weight.

I'm not entirely sure why these games cause such an unsettling feeling in my stomach, but they do.

For a minor history lesson, I can tell you firstly that these types of games have been around for a very long time. The guitar peripheral concept has been around in a franchise called Guitar Mania, and so too has the idea of a drum peripheral, in Drum Mania. These are not the only, and probably not the first examples, but they are the most well known after Guitar Hero. These games were limited mostly to arcades. Western arcades have all but died, whereas in Japan these machines still prevail (there's one being used in Lost in Translation), but that's another rant for another time. The Wii Balance Board is a relatively new idea, but having its roots in the Joyboard, a peripheral released in 1982. The peripherals on offer are not a new thing, so no, it's not that that's bothering me.

Large peripherals for controlling games have been around as long as games themselves. Nintendo's Robotic Operating Buddy for example. They have always had the major problem of costing an absolute bomb, especially in the light of regular priced games. £70 on Wii Fit, or £40 on GTA IV? A full Rock Band setup is going to set you back in the region of £150. That's a heavy hit for a video game, but you can buy the different parts separately, making your wallet take a slightly less insulting blow, but a blow nonetheless. But gamers do have a large disposable income, so I don't doubt for a minute that people will pay this price, even if it leaves a slightly bitter taste in their mouths, so no, it's not that that's bothering me, either.

I think, and this is a concept very deeply rooted within my brain, like a psychiatric disorder, that these games signal the next wave of novelty gaming (pejorative). I'm not sure I see myself as a "hard-core" gamer. I don't feel the need to play games' expert modes, for example. But I will strive for 100% completion, and I will attempt to play the best possible game of Halo/Super Smash Bros./Ikaruga/Guitar Hero that I can possibly play, ever motivated towards perfection. And what I see these novelty games as, is an influx of the casual gamer. We've already had a huge influx of the casual gamer in the DS and Wii, and we can already see the repercussions of that. Shelf after shelf of movie and TV tie-in games; poorly produced bilge in the attempt to make a quick buck out of the naïve and gullible.

People had fun playing Wii Sports and Wii Play, so 3rd parties produce more compilations of sports and mini games. People enjoyed brain training, and so we have a catalogue of third party brain training software.

OK granted, it's going to be fairly hard for a third party company to create a clone of Rock Band that people will actually be stupid enough to buy; this game seems pretty contained in itself. But it will still bring a lot of new gamers to the fold, and these new gamers are eventually going to get bored of Rock Band and want another game. Off they pop down to Game (...don't get me started on Game) to buy another game, and what are they more likely to walk out with? The Orange Box? Bio Shock? No, Iron Man, or the Lost video game, because as a new gamer, the only concepts they have in their mind are from other media, and they feel more comfortable spending their cash on a concept they are aware of, than the "unheard of" Crackdown.

But I think more than this, the thing that is getting me the most exasperated, is that for video games to finally get the world-wide recognition that they have been denied for so long, we have had to rely on novelty: The Wii and DS, and games with crazy peripherals. Like a circus clown with a trumpet running up to you in the street, shouting "Video games are fun! You see, look! Su Doku!"

Adjusting Row Appearance in Excel 2007

Just as you may modify the column appearance in Excel, the program also provides tools for adjusting row appearance in Excel 2007. Certain data - like text - may take up significantly more room than simple numeric entries do. In such a case, you may find that adjusting row appearance provides a more optimal viewing experience.

To adjust row height using the mouse, simply position your mouse cursor over the bottom border of the numbered row you want to adjust. Your cursor will change. Click the mouse and drag the row to the height you wish to use. Excel will indicate the point value (and pixel value) of the row. Selecting multiple rows will enable to you to change all selected rows at one time.

To specify a precise row height, select one cell in the row or rows you want to change. Select Home > Format > Height. Type in the new row height in points. Click OK. All selected rows will reflect your change.

Excel also provides an Auto Fit feature for adjusting row appearance in Excel 2007. To use it, click the header of the row you wish to adjust. Select Home > Format > Auto Fit. Excel will automatically optimize row height to accommodate the data in the row. Excel will return you to the active worksheet.

You may also apply appearance changes to non-adjacent rows within Excel. To select non-adjacent rows, press the Alt key and click each row you wish to alter. Drag one row to the desired height with the mouse or access the Row Height dialog box as described earlier. Enter your changes and click OK. All selected non-adjacent rows will be changed.

In addition, you may use the formatting buttons in the Alignment section of the Home tab to change the appearance of data within a row. Wrap Text, Merge Cells and Orientation are the only formatting controls that can affect the height of a row automatically when they are applied.

Effective Use of Spreadsheets - Microsoft Excel - Indexing Your Spreadsheets

Almost everyone these days use spreadsheet in their daily life, whether it is at work or at home or at school.

However, many are also just using it for its basic function, without knowing or exploring other functions and features that are available in spreadsheets, like Microsoft Excel.

Some are too afraid to ask others as they may look stupid for not knowing.

Others may want to read up on the additional functions and features, but the amount of books available and the thickness of these books tend to scare them away.

What I will do in this series of tips on "Effective use of spreadsheets" I will explain useful features in Microsoft Excel, which would make working with spreadsheets easier, whether you use spreadsheets for serious applications in the office or to catalogue your DVD collection or to keep your favourite recipes.

One feature that I have found to be very useful, especially if you have a large number of spreadsheets to work on or refer to frequently, is Indexing Your Spreadsheets by using the HYPERLINK Function.

When you have 10 or 50 or 100 spreadsheet in your workbook, you may find locating a particular spreadsheet by scrolling through the sheet tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet as being very difficult and time consuming.

The best way to locate find fast and accurately is to create your Spreadsheet Number 1 as an INDEX SPREADSHEET for the whole Workbook.

Try this out.

1) Open a New Spreadsheet File

2) On Row 1 Column A (location A1) type in Customer A or Recipe A

3) Right click on A1 and scroll down to HYPERLINK and click on it

4) Select Place in this document on the left hand side

5) Select Sheet 2 from the list - Cell Reference

6) Press OK

You have now referenced Cell A1 in Sheet 1 to Cell A1 in Sheet 2

You should now see Customer A in Cell A1 Sheet 1 with a Hyperlink underline to it.

When you place your cursor over A1 in Sheet 1 and click there, it will take you straight to Sheet 2

7) Now do the same on Cell A1 in Sheet 2 but now reference to Sheet 1 to take you back to Sheet 1 (the Index)

Repeat Steps 1 to 7 for a few more spreadsheets, say about 5 or 6 more, for Customer or Recipe B onwards, and then see the results.

Great isn't it.

Now you have just created a link through an Index Spreadsheet and a link to go back to the Index in every Spreadsheet.

Have fun trying it out and using it EFFECTIVELY in your daily work.

Effective Use of Spreadsheets - Microsoft Excel - Indexing Your Spreadsheets

Almost everyone these days use spreadsheet in their daily life, whether it is at work or at home or at school.

However, many are also just using it for its basic function, without knowing or exploring other functions and features that are available in spreadsheets, like Microsoft Excel.

Some are too afraid to ask others as they may look stupid for not knowing.

Others may want to read up on the additional functions and features, but the amount of books available and the thickness of these books tend to scare them away.

What I will do in this series of tips on "Effective use of spreadsheets" I will explain useful features in Microsoft Excel, which would make working with spreadsheets easier, whether you use spreadsheets for serious applications in the office or to catalogue your DVD collection or to keep your favourite recipes.

One feature that I have found to be very useful, especially if you have a large number of spreadsheets to work on or refer to frequently, is Indexing Your Spreadsheets by using the HYPERLINK Function.

When you have 10 or 50 or 100 spreadsheet in your workbook, you may find locating a particular spreadsheet by scrolling through the sheet tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet as being very difficult and time consuming.

The best way to locate find fast and accurately is to create your Spreadsheet Number 1 as an INDEX SPREADSHEET for the whole Workbook.

Try this out.

1) Open a New Spreadsheet File

2) On Row 1 Column A (location A1) type in Customer A or Recipe A

3) Right click on A1 and scroll down to HYPERLINK and click on it

4) Select Place in this document on the left hand side

5) Select Sheet 2 from the list - Cell Reference

6) Press OK

You have now referenced Cell A1 in Sheet 1 to Cell A1 in Sheet 2

You should now see Customer A in Cell A1 Sheet 1 with a Hyperlink underline to it.

When you place your cursor over A1 in Sheet 1 and click there, it will take you straight to Sheet 2

7) Now do the same on Cell A1 in Sheet 2 but now reference to Sheet 1 to take you back to Sheet 1 (the Index)

Repeat Steps 1 to 7 for a few more spreadsheets, say about 5 or 6 more, for Customer or Recipe B onwards, and then see the results.

Great isn't it.

Now you have just created a link through an Index Spreadsheet and a link to go back to the Index in every Spreadsheet.

Have fun trying it out and using it EFFECTIVELY in your daily work.

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