Word: pc
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Apple embraced this trend in a self-consciously ironic way. Its popular commercials pit a creative twenty-something (Mac) against a dumpy, unimaginative middle-aged man (PC). Their interactions constantly conclude that the Mac laptop fits an urbane, exciting lifestyle—though with a reassuring wink to consumers, so as to not presume that the ad actually sells you. But the message is clear: Personality is an extension of where you swipe your credit card...
Environmentally friendly computing used to mean turning off your PC at the end of a working day. That may cut electricity wastage, but what about the rest of the environmental mess that comes with using a computer? The energy-intensive process of refining and molding plastic means that your computer monitor alone is responsible for a cloud of emissions. And when you eventually toss that monitor on the scrap pile, it'll take years to break down and will likely leak a pool of chemical nasties into the ground. But computing doesn't have to cost the earth...
...researchers and entrepreneurs have wondered whether they could make commercially viable plastic electronics. Unlike microchips made of amorphous silicon and glass, polymer chips are light, hard to break and - perhaps best of all - as cheap as plastic. Although plastic transistors don't perform well enough to make the polymer PC a realistic goal for many years, they are quickly becoming suitable for applications where fragile silicon chips are impractical. Imagine electronics so cheap you could put them in disposable packaging, for example, or so light and flexible you could put them in your clothes. Processes similar to ink-jet printing...
Professional video gamer Jonathan (Fatal1ty) Wendel likes comparing himself to Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and Tony Hawk. Wendel doesn't have a 350-yd. drive or a turnaround jumper, but he has dominated the PC-gaming field, winning 12 championships and collecting more than $500,000 in prize money and well over $1 million beyond that in sponsor deals. To prepare for big matches, Wendel says, he imports sparring partners from as far away as Finland, avoids alcohol and caffeine and runs a couple of miles a day. "Fitness is crucial," he says. "It's all about...
Twitch athletes like Fatal1ty are trying to make a claim on sports programming and its rich merchandising spin-offs. There's already a built-in audience, and it's global. In 2006, combined sales of video and PC games hit $13.5 billion, a record for the industry and more than $4.5 billion above Hollywood's total box-office receipts. Competitive gaming is currently insignificant in that universe, with sales between $15 million and $20 million, according to industry consulting firm Parks Associates. But big players are entering the market. In January, DirecTV announced the formation of its own Championship Gaming...