Chess: Basic Moves for the Classic Game

Thanks for visiting our WorldVentures site.

Chess is one of the oldest traditional board games you will ever play. The beauty of chess is the almost endless level of skill and strategy that you can employ as you climb the ranks and challenge increasingly skilled competitors.

Irrespective of your age or skill level, you can find opponents to play and challenges to face. It truly is a game for all ages.

Of course, as a novice, you’ll find it hard to play chess with other players, especially as you’re beginning to learn the elementary movements. You can, however practice on a virtual opponent until you learn the basic moves. There are numerous online services or PC-based games that you can play to improve your skills.

Speaking for myself, I very much prefer a three-dimensional layout, so I almost always play on an electronic board when I want to play solo. There are plenty of great electronic chessboards that can increase in difficulty level as you improve, which is an advantage that they hold; and they also double as an objective measure of your improvement at the game. Some boards will even calculate a ranking for you based on how fast you play and how skilled your moves are.

As you begin to play against these virtual opponents, your aim is to understand the board, learn the various moves of each chess player, and learn the basic defense and attack strategies.

Once you’ve conquered the basic capabilities of the pieces, and you can construct move sequences without thinking to yourself “okay, two squares up and one square over,” you’re ready to tackle a real player.

So find yourself a cheap board at a game site, find a friend, and start playing one of the world’s oldest and best games.

The endless possibilities in game play make chess a superb game choice for the entire family.

The History of the Panerai Watch, the Italian Diver’s Watch

Thanks for visiting our WorldVentures site.

Over the last several years, Panerai watches have earned a worldwide reputation for excellence in design and performance. Although the Panerai name has been synonymous with quality and design for well over one hundred years among collectors and other cognoscenti, new models of these precision watches were unavailable for purchase abroad until around 1998.

Since then, demand has soared to the point that Panerai watches are now among the most sought-after watches in the world. Some models are very difficult to find. Panerai watches continue to build on a rich history that goes back to the nineteenth century. This article contains a concise history of the Panerai watch, the watch preferred by Italian divers for almost a century.

Early History: The Founding of the Panerai Watch Company

In 1860, Giovanni Panerai opened his watch-making shop in Florence, Italy. Florence’s first watchmaker, G. Panerai & Co., quickly established a reputation for making exquisitely crafted watches. Knowing that Swiss watch craftsmanship was unparalleled, Panerai contacted the most prestigious Swiss watch manufacturers and began modeling his Panerai watches around the precisely crafted and dependable Swiss model. Over time, the business flourished. When Giovanni died, his son Leon Francesco Panerai took over his father’s workshop and continued to build upon the Panerai reputation for excellence.

In time, Leon’s son Guido also joined the business and started a new venture named Guido Panerai and Figliothe. This business focused on designing and manufacturing high-precision mechanical instruments for many different clients. Word of this new company’s expertise spread, and eventually, Guido was contacted by the Royal Italian Navy. Shortly thereafter, Panerai and Figliothe became the navy’s official supplier of optical and navigational mechanical devices, and the company was renamed Officine Panerai.

Middle History: Descendants Building on the Panerai Legacy for Excellence

Around the turn of the century, when the Italians were developing a new kind of navy with metal ships and divers, naval officers asked Guido to develop a watch with a luminous face and hands. Early successes with luminous materials for the watch led to larger contracts with the navy for luminous instrument dials, nighttime sighting devices for naval gunnery, and a wide range of other mechanical instruments that could calculate depth, timing, and range to targets. As the demand for these instruments grew, the Officine Panerai company continued to grow, too.

In the early 1930s, Guido’s children, Giuseppe and Maria, continued their father’s work with Maria focusing on the watch-making part of the business and Giuseppe working mainly on expanding the company’s long relationship with the Italian Navy. He continued to develop and manufacture luminous devices for divers, including wrist compasses, depth gauges, and a wide range of other fine mechanical equipment designed for underwater performance. In 1936, the navy asked Giuseppe to design and build an underwater watch that could withstand extreme conditions. The first Panerai Radiomir watch prototype passed all testing protocols.

As World War II loomed, the navy needed all the equipment that the Panerais could make, especially diver’s watches. In 1943, the first Panerai Mare Nostrum chronograph was introduced for naval officers, although the watch never went into production. In 1949, a patent was issued for the Panerai Luminor. This model effectively replaced the Radiomir. Work continued, with craftsmen focused on creating Panerai watch models able to perform at greater and greater depths. Until the end of the 1980s, new Panerai watches were made exclusively for military clients; however, the company made their watches available to the public in the early 1990s.

Recent History: A New Beginning

In 1997, the Panerai Company was acquired by the Richemont Group. This company already owned the rights to other prestigious watchmakers such as Cartier, IWC, and others. The Richemont Group made Panerai watches available internationally, and suddenly, this coveted watch that was once available to a select few could be purchased in fine watch and jewelry shops around the world.

Knowing they stood to make a fortune with this new acquisition, Richemont reintroduced the Panerai Radiomir and Panerai Luminor, as well as a line of contemporary models inspired by the unique aesthetics of Panerai design. The future of Panerai watches and the people who love them appears to be quite promising. New models are expected to be rolled out for the foreseeable future. Of course, all new models will adhere to Giovanni Panerai and his descendants? strict standards for craftsmanship and performance.

The Omega Watch: From the First Man on the Moon to the Present

Thanks for visiting our WorldVentures site.

When people talk about the first wristwatch worn on the moon, they are referring to the Omega Speedmaster Professional chronograph. Ever since that milestone in human history, this Omega model has been referred to as the ‘Moon Watch’, but this self-winding chronograph was introduced many years earlier, in 1957. At the time, Omega could never have imagined that this particular model would be forever associated with such an extraordinary achievement. But the Omega Speedmaster earned the opportunity through an extremely rigorous vetting process. This process eliminated wristwatches from all of the other competing watch manufacturers who coveted the once-in-a-lifetime marketing opportunity.

The history of this watch and American space travel precedes that historic July day in 1969 by a few years. The first Omega Speedmaster to leave Earth’s atmosphere was worn on the wrist of Walter Schirra aboard the Sigma 7 in 1962. NASA requested that astronauts wear wristwatches for space travel as a matter of practicality in the event that onboard systems failed. Initially, the make and model of watch was up to the astronauts, but as the space program advanced, NASA decided that something as important as reliable timekeeping in space could not be left to chance. So NASA started a testing program that involved buying watches from several manufacturers and subjecting them to a regimen of different tests that simulated the changing conditions of space travel.

These watches were subjected to: extremes in temperature, exposure to a vacuum environment, up to 12 Gs of gravitational force, violent shaking, and other tests to ensure that the watches were anti-magnetic, shockproof, and waterproof. After extensive testing, the watch NASA chose was an Omega Speedmaster that had been bought over the counter at a Houston jewelry store. The Speedmaster became standard-issue for Apollo astronauts. During missions, most astronauts wore one Speedmaster set to Mission Elapsed Time and another set to Houston local time.

While there is no disputing that the Swiss-made Omega Speedmaster was the first watch worn on the surface of the moon, there has been a minor dispute over which astronaut was the first to walk on the moon while wearing one. During that historic Apollo 11 mission, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were given a window of two hours and forty minutes to explore the moon’s surface with the Omega Speedmaster strapped to the outsides of their spacesuits. Adding to this watch’s already remarkable history, the Speedmaster worn by Aldrin ended up tracking this period of time, as the onboard timer on the Lunar Module failed shortly after landing and could not be restarted.

According to Aldrin, during the moon walk, Armstrong left his Speedmaster chronograph on the module as a backup. In fact, it was Aldrin’s Speedmaster that was the first wristwatch worn on the moon’s surface. This Omega was to be donated to the Smithsonian Institute to be included in a collection of Aldrin’s other equipment. However, it was stolen sometime in the years after the moonwalk and has never been recovered.

A year later, during the Apollo 13 mission, the NASA-issued Omega Speedmaster had a far more crucial role. After an explosion on the service module rendered several critically important systems inoperable, scrapped plans to land on the moon again, and endangered the astronauts, lives, Commander James Lovell’s Speedmaster became an essential life- and mission-saving tool.

The crew of Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Jim Haies had to power down all systems except for the radio receiver to conserve energy. All the timed engine burns programmed into the vessel’s computer to enable the astronauts to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere were now out of service. Using only his Speedmaster chronograph, Lovell and his crew were able to time the duration and intervals of engine thrusts, and the men and their vessel safely returned home.

In the years since, Omega Speedmaster chronographs have continued their remarkable service on the first space shuttle mission and subsequent missions. These watches have been selected by the former Soviet Union for their space program. The Omega Speedmaster watch remains the only NASA flight-qualified watch for space walks, and has been consistently retested by NASA to ensure performance. To this day, this model is still the only watch “Flight-Qualified by NASA for all Manned Space Missions,” and has served the American and Russian space programs with distinction since the early 1960s.

The Omega Speedmaster Professional chronograph is still in production today. The very same model preferred by NASA and the men and women who crew missions for space exploration can be purchased at fine jewelry stores around the world. Buying a Speedmaster allows the owner to wear an extraordinary piece of history with a record of performance that is, literally, out of this world.

Winning Basketball Wagers; It can be done.

Thanks for visiting our WorldVentures site.

There are two kinds of gamblers… those who lie about their losses and those who don’t. Very few people who gamble come out ahead.

However, you can sometimes win betting on college basketball if you a both smart and lucky.

Those who do win…that small minority…tend to do it by strictly adhering to six simple rules.

1. Draw up a contract for yourself, in writing, before you begin betting. Included in it should be the maximum amount of money you will bet on any individual game, a limit on the number of games you will bet each week, and a ceiling on the total number of games on which you will place wagers during the season. If you ever find yourself tempted to exceed the limits set in your contract, get help…you may have a gambling problem.

2. Research, analyze, and review before placing a wager. Successful bettors rely on their intellects, not so-called gut feelings.

3. It is far easier to pick a few winners than a lot of winners. Do not bet on a game unless you have done a careful analysis of it, and bet only on contests about which you feel most confident about the result.

4. Do not get too carried away with trends, particularly longterm historical trends. Are statistics from past seasons really important? Decide what data is really relevant.

5. Whether you win or you lose, continue to analyze the effectiveness of your selection process. Are you betting too much with your heart? Are your perceptions about the quality of play in a given league proving to be correct? Are you giving too much (or too little) weight to the quality of teams’ coaches? Refine your selection criteria if warranted.

6. Be sure to appropriately factor in the homecourt advantage. In no other sport is playing at home as large an advantage as it is in basketball (especially college basketball).

If you follow the rules above without exception, the odds of your coming out on top against the pros…the online and the brick and mortar casinos…is still pretty low. But, you’ll have a good chance against your friends and in the office pools. And, the bragging rights are even more fun than the few dollars you can win.

Different Motorcycle Helmet Colors

Thanks for visiting our WorldVentures site.

There are a large array of different motorcycle helmets to choose from. Which one you should choose can be a difficult decision for any rider. Solid or pattern, florescent or metallic?

It can be hard for a motorcyclist to decide on a color for their helmet. Your helmet is most important for the safety it provides you, but it is also a good way to show off your style while riding.

Some riders choose a brightly colored helmet in order to improve their safety. A bright colored helmet can help motorists to see you more clearly, either during the day or at night, which you’re riding.

A solid motorcycle helmet color is the best if you want to be noticed by other drivers. You can also purchase a reflective strip so that their headlights will illuminate it, making you more noticeable, and therefore safer.

For a rider who is really concerned with letting their individuality show while they ride, there are many motorcycle helmet colors out there for everyone that are eye catching and can be personalized.

Say you’re a rider who can’t get enough of their bike. You might be able to find a helmet customized to your bikes colors. Check on the manufacturer’s website, or get it custom painted at your local bike shop.

If you’re a huge sports fan, and have some extra cash to spend, you can get a helmet with a graphic of your team’s logo, painted in your team’s colors. This will let you show your fandom on the road.

If you want a customized motorcycle helmet color, there are many different options, but they can get pricey. For a rider with a smaller budget, go with something plain and simple to cut costs.

Xperiences Guide to Track Days and Driving Experiences, Part #2

Thanks for visiting our WorldVentures site.

Welcome to part #2 of the Xperiences guide to driving and track day experience gifts for adrenaline junkies and thrill seekers. In this concluding article we aim to finish our brief glimpse of the best that is available on the market today, whether it’s Skid Pan & Controlled Driving, karting, tank driving, moto cross or rally driving experiences. If it’s on two or four wheels we aim to give you the lowdown on it.

Rally Driving Rally driving occupies a unique place in the motorsport world. It’s fast, furious and often seems barely in control. Well, find out for yourself behind the wheel of a specially-prepared rally car. Discover the secrets of power slides, handbrake turns and skid cause and control on loose surface or tarmac rally stages - handy for the next time you’re trying to find the ski lodge in a hire car. Your experience normally includes tuition and rally driving around a specially-prepared rally stages. At some venues you’ll also be chauffeured around a stage by your instructor at competition speeds, just to show you how it’s done.

Moto Cross Motocross racing is widely considered the world’s most popular form of motorcycle racing. Held on enclosed off-road circuits it has evolved from scrambling which was invented in the UK in 1924. With large tracks they usually incorporate many natural Motocross terrain features with added man made jumps and other extras. Whether you are a complete off-road novice or a seasoned dirt junkie, there are guided off-road adventure tours that will suit you down to the ground!

Tank Driving This is your chance to play with the big boys toys! A fantastic experience during which you will probably drive a Cheiftain Tank, Abbot Self Propelled Gun or FV432 Armoured Personnel Carrier….in short, awesome. You will normally receive full driving tuition from friendly and experienced ex-forces instructors and with so much to try you will be kept busy! You’ve got to hand it the army - they’ve definitely got the best wheels. You can’t beat a day driving around in military vehicles and shooting at stuff. All the fun of being a soldier with none of the risks. You’ll be kitted out in a camouflage suit and helmet and given a full safety briefing.

Skid Pan & Controlled Driving These skid car control experiences test your reflexes and co-ordination to the full as you learn the advanced techniques to counteract under steer and over steer in a simulated loss-of-control situation. Controlling a skid is a useful skill, and this experience teaches you all about it both as a fun day out, and as something you might need to use on the road one day. You’ll start with a safety briefing and a discussion on the cause and cures of different kinds of skids. Then you’ll use techniques that simulate loss of car control, with the vehicle seeming to get away from you.

Junior Driving This is your chance to let your child turn their dreams into reality in these fantastic junior experiences. From a young age children fantasize about driving supercars and this is their chance. Not only can these brilliant experiences give them precious time controlling a vehicle, developing skills for when they eventually become drivers, but it is a fantasy that will make them the king of the playground.

Karting Karting isn’t just for kids - it’s how many Grand Prix champions (including Jenson Button and current F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton) start out before moving on to fame and fast women. Whatever your racing ambitions, these experiences are loads of fun; whether you’re a novice or an expert you’ll enjoy the fast and furious sessions, racing others head-to-head around a specially-designed track. You’ll start with a briefing and a few untimed practice laps to get you familiar with the karts and circuit (and get your competitive streak going). Then you’ll compete against other drivers in race heats, semi-finals and finals.

Sharm, Egypt: Jewel of the Red Sea

Thanks for visiting our WorldVentures site.

Sharm el Skeikh, or just Sharm, is one of the hottest travel destinations in the Arab world, and for good reason. It’s quickly being recognized as one of the finest diving spots in the world, and the variety of activities available to the visitor is mind boggling.

Forty years ago, Sharm Egypt was little more than a tiny fishing village. But during Israel’s occupation, the land near Sharm’s center began to be developed and it gradually transformed into a tourist destination. It now contains most of the amenities that you would expect in a travel destination, except that it’s been able to maintain its historic roots.

Sharm and nearby Hurghada are located on the Red Sea coast, and just offshore there is a wide spectrum of aquatic life and beautiful coral, including dolphins and sharks, if that’s your cup of tea! Sharm caters to scuba divers of all levels, so even if you’re new to the activity, you’ll find a reputable dive operator who can accommodate you.

If scuba diving is not for you, there are plenty of other beach activities that you can participate in. Sharm and Hurghada beaches have beautiful white sand and the water is crystal clear. Bad pictures are almost impossible to take here!

While some areas in Egypt are known more for their historic value, Sharm has a reputation as more of a beach or resort destination. Here you’ll find hotels in all price ranges, including some world-class properties, and you’ll also find an active nightlife, which is not particularly common in Egypt. But do expect to pay a hefty price for beer, wine, and spirits, even in this more liberal area.

Egypt hosts more than 5 million visitors every year, and in recent years, over one quarter of them have visited Sharm. The locals are very friendly and accommodating with travelers, but there are still some taboo customs that you should be aware of if you’re planning a vacation. To get the most out of your holiday, look into Egypt packages, which will help you plan your visit.

For the most part, most of Egypt is generally safe. There is very little violent crime, with the most common infraction being petty pick pocketing, but security is stationed in many public areas to protect the travelers’ interests.

Sharm is a beautiful city in an amazingly historical city. If you plan a holiday to Sharm, whether on its on or as part of one of the available Egypt packages, you will not be disappointed, and you will leave with some fantastic memories (and hopefully photographs) that will last a lifetime.

Where’s the Best Place to Find a Wii?

Thanks for visiting our WorldVentures site.

Every year, the rush to get the game or game system that is the most popular and to get a good price (if you can find it at all) is the new Christmas story! The best price for Wii is again the race to Dec. 25th. With the invention of Wii Music, Guitar Hero 3 Complete Band and Rock Band games, those people who don’t have a Wii or want to add another one will be looking for the best price of this gaming system.

So where can I find the Nintendo Wii at the best price?

Start finding the best price for a Wii by looking at the auction sites. You can locate the best prices because you can bid at the price you want to pay and you have the added benefit of fast delivery. I use Ebay as one of my favorite auction sites. Mostly, because I can find almost anything I need, new, used and even bundled sets. With the number of people who sell on Ebay, finding the best price for Wii will be easier than you may think.

I especially like the option of a used system. Most of the time, you can find one that is almost like new, barely being played. And I feel comfortable in getting what is advertised because of Ebay strict controls and rules.

As hard as it has been in the past to find a Wii very long into the Christmas season, Ebay is a viable solution. You may end up paying a bit more sometimes, but you will find the gift that they want. And since Ebay has so many options, your chance of finding the best price for Wii is great.

Paying top dollar probably, you can also go to local retail stores. An upside to shopping locally is you don’t have to pay for shipping, and you can walk out with the Wii under your arm. However, these places are not recommended if you’re looking for the best price on Wii.

Try Amazon Marketplace too. You get their easy to use, easy to deliver and easy return policies. Amazon has new and gently used gaming systems too. Another benefit is you can buy a bunch of cool stuff to go with your system, including games. And you have a good chance of finding a great price for all of your Wii goodies.

Hope these ideas will be helpful in finding the best prices for a Wii. Don’t delay though - or both the best prices and then the Wii themselves will disappear.

Golfing In Las Vegas: How To Plan The Trip Of A Lifetime.

Thanks for visiting our WorldVentures site.

The more effort you put into planning a golf vacation, the higher the expectations become. There are so many logistical issues to keep on top of that the task can seem overwhelming at times. You shouldn’t let that dampen your enthusiasm for such a trip, because a golf vacation in a world class destination such as Las Vegas can be the trip of a lifetime.

There are basically two ways of planning and taking your golf vacation. You could just go out and purchase one of the best aall inclusive golf vacationsa, or do it your own way as they so popularly call it ago it alonea vacations. If you are aware of all the vacations spots, the schedules, the requirements, the itinerary and have the resources to carry all your golf supplies yourself, then you could plan out your own schedule and couple it with the readily available local agolf packagesa to make your outing a success.

The Las Vegas area is home to some of the world’s finest golf destinations, which should make it easy to put together a great vacation. However, it can be time-consuming to go through the pros and cons of all of these different destinations yourself. That is why many people opt for a vacation package. You may find that available packages do not include particular destinations that may be on your short-list.

Go online and research for \”discount golf in Las Vegas\” packages, or search from the exhaustive list of agolf packagesa looking specifically for Las Vegas options. The former choice will be much better if Vegas is truly your preferred golfing location. Your package should include all hotel or resort arrangements, guaranteed tee times, cart fees, driving range fees, and maybe even a snack or meal. Rental clubs should be available as well if needed (unless of course you choose to carry your own lucky golf clubs!) Look for savings via a aspecial offera if available.

The budget can play an important deciding factor while planning your vacation. While smaller or rather shorter 3-5 day packages could come for a few hundred dollars, longer aall inclusive golf vacationsa could cost you dearly and be a few thousands. But then the advantages also are worth it. You spend less time on your planning, your unexpected contingency surprises, and have more time to enjoy your vacation, your golf, and maybe even a spa treatment to relax and enjoy the full luxury of a Vegas vacation.

With so many outstanding golf courses spread around in Las Vegas, it is really a daunting task to pin point and shortlist the Las Vegas top courses. But then try and see if they figure in your agolf packagesa. Some of the top courses in Las Vegas are Rio Secco, Reflection Bay, TPC at the Canyons, Badlands, Primm Valley Golf Course, Wynn Las Vegas, to name just a few. Each course is a masterpiece of its own, and the opportunity of playing on one of them can be an unforgettable lifetime experience.

Just balance the pros and cons before planning your vacation. While agolf packagesa can give you a lot of relief from unwanted planning, and searching, besides the fantastic hotel rooms, and pre-booked tee times, a ago it alonea approach can have the benefit of going anywhere, when you like with more flexibility. But, this can also be a devastating and wasteful experience if your plans fail anywhere midway. And you will have no one but yourself to blame for a spoiled vacation.

What you want is to combine a great itinerary that hits all of the courses that you are interested in, that has a pace that suits your vacation style and that fits your budget. If you get the balance right, then you will be rewarded with a chance to relax and play golf on some of the most beautiful golf courses in the world. If you plan it right, a golf vacation in Las Vegas can be the trip of a lifetime.

Egypt Packages: Exceptional Vacations for Modest Prices

Thanks for visiting our WorldVentures site.

An Egypt holiday is one of the most memorable and rewarding excursions that you can possibly experience due to the huge amount of activities, sites, historic value, and travel options available.

When many people think about Egypt, they envision monuments, pyramids, and the desert. But there is so much more to Egypt than that, and each destination in Egypt has a unique offering from the others. For example, Alexandria and Luxor are well-known for their historic value, Hurghada and Sharm are known for their beaches, resorts, and watersports, Cairo is known for its culture, and so on.

You will also find that travel within Egypt is moderately, with accommodations, airfare, and entertainment being quite reasonable considering its popularity. A local exception is beer, wine, and spirits, however, which will cost you anywhere from US$8 to $12 for each drink.

Unfortunately, because of the wide range of activities, if you want to participate in a variety, e.g. exploring the beaches of Sharm Egypt, then on to Luxor or a Nile River cruise with a safari and horseback ride along the way, your travel plans become much more cumbersome to implement. Luckily there are a good number of qualified travel guides who can assist you with numerous plans, from group tours to fully escorted Egypt packages.

If, like me, you’re a do-it-yourselfer, there are some exceptional travel books that will give you the inside scoop on destinations, customs, and prices, which will all be immensely helpful in planning your trip. But this approach isn’t recommended for everyone, because we all have different tolerance levels for chaos!

One of the aspects of Egypt that struck me even more than the surroundings was the people, who are largely helpful, friendly, and hospitable. Ask a local a question, and you’re likely to draw a crowd of people with suggestions on the best answer!

A popular fear when traveling to Africa or the Middle East is one of safety, but Egypt is one of the safer destinations you can visit. Aside from the tourist bombings in 2005, purportedly orchestrated by Egyptian radicals bent on ruining Egypt’s rich tourism industry, Egypt is largely free from violent crime. Pick pocketing is the most common form of crime, but security is placed in most public places to discourage this from happening.

The best time for Egypt travel is between November and March, when the temperatures are the most accommodating. During this time, you’ll likely see temperatures in the 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit range. Of course, this is also the most expensive time to travel! If you’re willing to brave the off-season heat, you will be able to find some incredible deals on lodging.

Egypt packages are a great approach to what will be one of the most memorable holidays during your lifetime, almost assuredly. Prepare fully, plan in advance, and enjoy one of the most beautiful regions in the world, along with one of the original seven wonders.

Next Page »