Which is why a week like the one just past is such a sobering reminder that we are always just an unanticipated disaster away from a trip into the primitive America that existed before.

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Still, there may be no starker example of the conversion of primitive improvisations into structured, commodified, and stationary technological simulation than that of Miyamoto, the rural explorer turned ludic mastermind.

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The deal would transform the relatively primitive Soviet telephone network into one utilizing high technology fiber-optic cable and switching equipment.

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You know, the kinds of gadgets you'd love to travel with into the past simply to blow people's primitive minds.

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The enthusiasm for aboriginal art has encouraged artists to venture beyond the more primitive style and has turned some of them into well-paid stars.

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Thus was born "Winky Dink and You" -- a primitive and rudimentary first step into what would eventually become the screen-obsessed world in which we live today: millions of people endlessly tapping away, sending and receiving messages, relentlessly responding to what glows in front of their eyes, regarding their screen as almost a person, a friend.

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And once it hits the Web, the game will take a primitive, but impressive, step into a brave new world where computers will watch and analyze your preferences and habits and reprogram themselves accordingly.

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The pair's primitive, mutated fusion of pop, rock, and dance sounds practically pushes listeners' fists into the air with its heavy beats and unforgettable hooks.

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In today's game, in which speed and agility are as highly prized as bulk and brawn, the Welsh strategy of rounding up a bunch of behemoths and squeezing them into red jerseys might appear to be a primitive tactic.

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