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Why has NeoBux has changed its rate (not good for its users)

2011-03-13T21:19:00.005+05:30

There is a lot of confusion with the members of arguably the best Paid To Click (PTC) site on the planet NeoBux. Confusion started today (March 13th, 2011) when NeoBux announced a major change in their click rates for their users. What are the new click rates? Who will be benefited? Read on.

Earlier NeoBux paid 1 cent (0.01USD) per advertisement and now they will pay 0.1 cent (0.001 USD). Which means they will have to work 10 times harder to get the same amount. For standard members now they will not earn 4 cents per day, instead it will take them 3 days to cross 1 cent. Also, they have not changed the Golden Pack rates nor they have changed the rented referral rates which has caused a rage with its members.

After viewing its forum, I found almost all types of members (golden and standard) more then willing to quit. You cannot blame them. Earning the minimum payout of 2USD would take months if not a year.

I was a happy member of Neobux until today. Being a Golden member I earned around 1USD a day. Now I will be lucky if I touch 25cents.

Golden members will have more trouble, post the declaration most of the standard members will quit. Which will affect the Golden members big time as their income solely depended on the referrals.

Though the new rates will be great for the advertisement, but on the long run, it will impact advertisements too. Because there has already been a drastic drop in the membership. Thousands have already quit and millions are just waiting, hoping that the Admin will change the rates back to the original.

Its a wait and watch game for the users who work from home and earned few hundred dollars with such online business opportunities.

Till then I will try few other popular PTCs like OnBux, EasyHits4u, DonkeyMails and No-Minimum.

I just hope other PTC / Paid to Signups / CPA websites should not follow NeoBux's trend.

A suggestion/feedback will be appreciated. Thanks for visiting.

Salman Khan extends support to blood donation camp on Independence Day

2010-08-15T03:34:00.002+05:30

Bollywood actor Salman Khan has pledged his support to Go India Foundation’s initiative of organising a blood donation camp in Pune on August 15. The foundation aims to collect 63,000 bottles of blood on the 63rd Independence Day.

According to a press note issued by the foundation, members of the Pune chapter of the organisation had met Salman at his Mumbai residence last Sunday and sought help for the cause. The actor not only agreed to lend a helping hand by endorsing the campaign, but also launched the donor T-shirts.

President of Go India Foundation’s Maharashtra chapter Mayuresh Phatak, Maharashtra Secretary Sarang Patharkar and Vikram Patil, president of the Pune chapter Jayraj Landage along with the chairperson of the organisation from Delhi Alka Lamba had met Salman.

“A nationwide blood donation drive will be held on August 15 over 250 districts. Our target is to provide India 100% safe voluntary blood, so that the need of replacement donation never arises,” said Lamba.

In Pune, blood donation camps will be held at SP College, Mahatma Phule Museum on Ghole Road, Bharati Vidyapeeth, MIT College at Kothrud and Azam Campus.

Source: IndianExpress

How to play with words - by Keith Sands

2010-08-12T21:27:00.002+05:30

This paragraph is not ordinary. Look at it. At first, it won’t look too odd. Just a normal paragraph – you may think. But look at it again and you might find it a bit unusual. Just a tiny bit. What’s wrong with it, you may ask? Nothing wrong at all, in fact, as I said, it’s just slightly unusual. It’s difficult to put it in words. Look again. Is anything not right? Can you spot it? Is anything . . . missing?

What you’ve just read is a lipogram – a text written without using a particular letter of the alphabet. It's the hardest kind of lipogram, as it doesn’t contain the letter E – the most common letter in the English language. Try writing one yourself, even a few sentences, and you’ll see it's pretty difficult. Now imagine the task faced by the French writer Georges Perec, when a friend challenged him to write a whole novel without using E – a letter that is even more common in French than in English.

Perec was a frighteningly clever writer. He was a lover of word games and puzzles, and a master of the Chinese board game Go. He wrote crossword puzzles for Paris magazines. He had already written a 5,000 word palindrome – a text that reads the same forwards and back, like the well known ‘A man, a plan, a canal – Panama’. But his friends thought that this task would be beyond him. Indeed, they staked money on it.

Unlocking the imagination
He took up the challenge. He was unable to use more than 70 per cent of the words in the French language. The most common articles and pronouns, most of the French verb endings, and nearly every feminine noun were off-limits. Imagine a French writer not being able to use ‘une’, ‘le’, ‘je’, ‘elle’, ‘est’, or ‘et’. Surely enough to kill any writer’s ability to create.

But Perec was not just any writer. He discovered that, on the contrary, this ‘impossible’ rule unlocked his imagination. He later claimed that he wrote his novel faster than any of his other books. He was forced to think. He had to fight for every sentence. He had no choice but to be original.

The result was La Disparition, a surreal detective story about the mysterious disappearance of a character named A. Vowl. (Get it?) The only Es were the four in his name on the cover. He placed dozens of clues in the book about the fantastically difficult rule he was working under. (For example, the chapters are numbered one to 26, but there is no chapter five, E being the fifth letter of the alphabet.) Despite the clues, many of the original reviewers failed to spot what was staring them in their faces – the missing letter. Embarassing for the critics; hilarious for the writer and his friends.

Fortunately, the game Perec was playing did not destroy the book itself. It’s not just a novel without the letter E, it’s a good novel in its own right – very funny, if you know its secret; and rather disturbing if you don’t. Every sentence seems twisted slightly out of shape, and the resulting style is unique. It’s like chaos theory, which says that a butterfly’s wingbeat in South America might cause a hurricane in China. Remove a tiny thing – a single letter, that you’d hardly notice – and the whole world is changed.

After he finished his novel, Perec decided he needed to use up all the Es he hadn’t used in the novel, so he got rid of the As, Is, Os, and Us – and wrote a short story in which E is the only vowel.

Has anyone matched Perec? Probably only the British writer Gilbert Adair, who translated La Disparition into English. Again without using a single E. You could argue this is even more difficult than Perec’s original task, as Adair had to keep to the original story. Nevertheless, he managed it. Even the title was hard to translate: it couldn’t be called The Disappearance. The title of the English version is A Void, a play on words Perec himself would have enjoyed. ‘Avoid’, of course, is what the writer does when he writes a lipogram – avoiding all those nasty words with E in them.

Instant poetry
Perec was given his ‘impossible’ task by a fellow member of OuLiPo (Ouvroir de littérature potentielle – the Workshop of Potential Literature). This was a group of experimental writers in Paris in the 1960s, whose leading figures were Perec, Raymond Queneau, and the Italian Italo Calvino. The OuLiPo group developed the theory that writing under constraints and rules was a way to achieve true originality. Perec liked the paradox – the more you limit yourself, the freer you have to become.

Perec’s book is proof, perhaps, that this experiment works. But probably only if you’re brilliant in the first place. However, another of the OuLiPo word games is within everyone’s reach. Anyone can write an OuLiPo poem – all you need is a pen, paper and a dictionary.

Take a poem you like, or maybe one you don’t like, and underline all the nouns.

Look them up in the dictionary, count seven entries forward from the noun you started with and replace the word in the poem with the word you find. If it’s a verb, add ‘-ing’. So here are the first lines of Dante’s ‘Inferno’:

In the middle of the journey of my life
I found myself in a dark wood . . .

Which becomes:

In the midnight of the joy of my life insurance
I found mythology in a dark woodpile . . .

You now have an OuLiPo poem. It won’t make much sense, but it’ll probably have some surprising phrases in it you wouldn’t otherwise have thought of. If you don’t like it, change the adjectives as well. Then the verbs. It’s cheating, but it’s truly democratic. Anyone can be a poet – sort of. And it’s a lot easier than lipograms.

Vocabulary
Five words/phrases from the text:

odd: peculiar or strange
challenge: to invite somebody to engage in a contest
stake: to risk something (such as money) on the result of a game
critic: a person who evaluates creative work
paradox: a statement that seems self contradictory

Exercise one
Vocabulary gap fill. Now use the five words/phrases to fill the gaps in the sentences below:

Most of the reviews were good but one ………[1] said that his book was complicated and difficult to read.
He decided to ………[2] his brother to a game of chess.
He wanted to ………[3] all of his money on the game because he was sure he could win.
She couldn’t live with him but she couldn’t live without him either; the situation was a ………[4]
The main character of the film was an ………[5] little boy who was able to fly but unable to talk.

Exercise two
Comprehension: true or false. Decide whether these sentences are TRUE or FALSE according to the text:

Perec’s friends knew he could write a novel without using E.
Perec could use only fewer than half the words in the French language.
Perec found the experience made him more creative.
The critics were told in advance about Perec’s difficult rule’.
If you don’t notice the missing Es, the novel does not seem strange.

Answers
Vocabulary

critic
challenge
stake
paradox
odd

Comprehension

False
True
True
False
False

Source: Britishcouncil.org

50 Summer Drinks

2010-08-10T05:14:00.001+05:30

1. PB Frappe
Puree 1/4 cup peanut butter with 1 cup milk. Pour some chocolate syrup into a glass; top with the peanut-butter milk. Slowly add seltzer and stir.

2. Vietnamese Iced Coffee
Pour 3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk over ice; stir in 1 cup cooled strong coffee.

3. Honeydew Ice
Puree 1 cup each frozen honeydew melon and frozen diced cucumber with the juice of 1 lime and some sugar.

4. Sake Spritzer
Combine 1 basil leaf, 6 mint leaves, 2 lemon twists, 1 orange wedge, 1/4 cup diced cucumber and 1 1/2 ounces orange liqueur in a shaker with ice; shake. Pour into a glass and top with sparkling sake.

5. Peach-Ginger Iced Tea
Mash 6 canned peach halves with 1 1/2 cups of the juice, 1/3 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon grated ginger in a pitcher. Add ice and 6 cups cold English breakfast tea.

6. Pineapple Rummy
Fill a glass partway with sparkling cider and ice. Add a shot of dark rum and a few pineapple chunks.

7. Concord Cow
Scoop some vanilla ice cream into a glass. Mix equal parts concord grape juice and lemon-lime soda, then slowly pour over the ice cream.

8. Real-Man's Margarita
Salt the rim of a beer mug; fill with ice. Add Mexican beer, a squeeze of lime juice, a splash of tequila and hot sauce to taste.

9. Cherry Cooler
Puree 1/2 pound pitted cherries, 1/2 cup sugar and 1 cup strong hibiscus tea. Serve over ice and garnish with cherries.

10. Agua Fresca
Puree 2 unpeeled cucumbers, the juice of 2 limes, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 cup water and 1/4 serrano pepper; strain. Serve over ice.

11. Elderflower Fizz
Fill a glass halfway with ice and cranberry juice. Add a splash each of vodka and elderflower liqueur; top with seltzer and garnish with mint.

12. Tequila Paloma
Pour a shot of tequila into an ice-filled glass; top with grapefruit soda.

13. Guava Green Tea
Pour equal parts guava juice and green tea over ice; garnish with lemon.

14. Lychee Sparkler
Puree half the lychees from a 20-ounce can with all the syrup; strain. Mix with 2 1/2 cups Lillet and a few dashes of rose water and bitters.

15. Kiwi Punch
Puree 7 peeled, cubed kiwis with 1/2 cup sugar, the juice of 2 limes and 1 cup water; strain and serve over ice.

16. Bull's-Eye Brew
Mix equal parts tomato juice and pale ale. Serve on ice with lime wedges.

17. Strawberry Limeade
Make simple syrup: Dissolve 1 cup sugar in 1 cup water in a saucepan over low heat; let cool. Combine with 1 cup lime juice, 2 cups water, some frozen chopped strawberries and ice.

18. Pimm's Ginger Cup
Pour 2 ounces Pimm's No. 1 over ice. Squeeze in a lemon wedge; top with ginger ale and garnish with a cucumber stick.

19. Iced Chai
Brew 6 black tea bags in 4 cups water with a 1-inch piece ginger and 2 teaspoons Chai spice blend. Cool, remove tea bags and ginger and stir in 1/4 cup honey. Serve over ice with sweetened condensed milk.

20. Fruity Protein Shake
Puree 2 ounces silken tofu, 1 cup frozen fruit, 1/4 cup fruit juice, 1/2 cup soy milk and a little honey.

21. Russian Cherry Soda
Bring 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup pitted cherries to a boil and cook until syrupy; stir into seltzer.

22. Lavender-Peach Cooler
Make half a batch of simple syrup (see No. 17), adding 1/4 cup dried lavender to the hot syrup; let cool. Puree 1/2 cup of the syrup with 1½ pounds peaches and 1 cup water; strain. Stir in lemon juice and serve on the rocks.

23. Go-To Margarita
Shake 3 ounces tequila, 2 ounces lime juice, 1 ounce simple syrup (see No. 17) and ice in a shaker. Strain into an ice-filled glass.

24. Apricot Sun Tea
Steep 4 bags orange pekoe tea in 4 cups cold water in a sunny spot for several hours. Stir in 2 cups apricot nectar, 1/4 cup simple syrup (see No. 17), the juice of 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 cup fresh mint; chill.

25. Instant Horchata
Sweeten rice milk with sugar; add a pinch of cinnamon. Serve over ice with diced cantaloupe and pecans.

26. Watermelon-Coconut Cooler
Blend 8 cups frozen cubed watermelon with 8 ounces lemon vodka, 7 ounces simple syrup (see No. 17) and a 17.5-ounce can coconut juice. Serve with watermelon wedges.

27. Orange-Berry Daiquiri
Puree 2 cups crushed ice, 1 cup sliced strawberries, 4 ounces light rum, 1 ounce orange liqueur, 2 ounces lime juice and 1 tablespoon superfine sugar. Pour into 2 glasses.

28. Virgin Daiquiri
Swap the alcohol in the above recipe for 1/2 cup fresh orange juice.

29. Derby Martini
Shake 1 1/2 ounces bourbon, 1/4 ounce Lillet, 1/2 ounce cherry brandy, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, a dash of bitters and ice in a shaker; strain into a martini glass.

30. Old Cuban
Muddle a handful of mint leaves in a shaker with 1 1/2 ounces rum, the juice of 1 lime, 1 ounce simple syrup (see No. 17) and 2 dashes bitters. Shake with ice; strain into a flute and top with champagne.

31. Berry-Guava Lemonade
Mash 4 diced strawberries with 2 tablespoons sugar and 4 tablespoons guava juice in a glass. Fill with ice, then add 6 tablespoons lemon juice and lemon slices.

32. Cherry-Lime Rickey
Mash 6 pitted cherries, 3 lime wedges and 2 teaspoons sugar in a glass. Add 3 ounces gin and ice.

33. Blueberry Slush
Puree 4 ounces tequila, 2 ounces blue curaçao, 1/2 cup blueberries, the juice of 3 limes, 1 tablespoon sugar and 3 cups ice until slushy; pour into 2 sugar-rimmed margarita glasses.

34. Ginger Shandy
Mix equal parts ginger ale and pale ale; serve on the rocks.

35. Chocolate-Cherry Shake
Puree 1 cup softened vanilla ice cream, 1/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup frozen cherries and 8 chocolate wafers.

36. Pink & Green Aperitif
Mix 2 parts Aperol and 1 part vodka with muddled lime wedges and pink grapefruit juice. Garnish with raspberries.

37. Vir-Gin & Tonic
Crush 2 tablespoons juniper berries with 2 tablespoons fresh mint. Add 1 cup tonic; steep for 20 minutes, then strain. Serve on ice; top with tonic and 2 dashes bitters.

38. Smoky Creamsicle Float
Scoop some vanilla ice cream into a glass; add 1 ounce mezcal and 6 ounces orange soda.

39. Raspberry Egg Cream
Puree 1/4 cup raspberry jam with 1 cup milk. Place 1 tablespoon jam in a glass. Top with the raspberry milk and seltzer; stir.

40. Pink Lemonade
Boil 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water and 1 cup raspberries; let cool. Strain into a pitcher, then stir in 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1 cup cold water and ice.

41. Melon Sangria
Mix 1 bottle white wine, 1/2 cup green melon liqueur, the juice of 3 limes and 1/4 cup sugar in a pitcher; chill. Garnish with melon balls.

42. Cucumber Water
Combine 1 gallon ice water, 1 sliced lemon and 1/2 sliced cucumber; chill.

43. Bluetini
Drizzle 2 teaspoons blue curaçao into a chilled martini glass; add 2 dashes orange bitters. Shake a shot of blueberry vodka with ice in a shaker, then strain into the glass; garnish with blueberries.

44. Boozy Cherry Pop
Pour 2 ounces each cherry syrup and gin over ice; add a splash of seltzer. Float a layer of red wine on top by pouring over the back of a spoon; garnish with a maraschino cherry.

45. Rosemary Gin & Tonic
Mash a lime wedge with 4 cucumber slices in a glass. Add 2 ounces gin, a sprig of rosemary and some ice; top with tonic.

46. Caramel-Java Freeze
Puree 1/2 cup espresso, 1/2 cup milk, 2 tablespoons each caramel sauce and sugar and 1 cup crushed ice. Pour into 2 glasses; top with whipped cream and caramel.

47. Champagne Punch
Mix 1 bottle champagne, 2 cups seltzer, 1 cup peach nectar and 1/2 cup brandy in a punch bowl; add sliced peaches and berries.

48. Raspberry Shrub
Fill a jar with raspberries; cover with cider vinegar and steep overnight. Strain into a saucepan and add 1 cup sugar per 1 cup liquid; boil 15 minutes, then cool. Combine 3 tablespoons shrub in a glass with ice, lime juice and seltzer.

49. Ginger Juice
Soak 1 cup grated ginger in 8 cups water overnight. Add 1 cup sugar; simmer 1 hour, strain and chill. Stir in a dash of almond extract and serve over ice; top with seltzer.

50. White-Grape Spritzer
Mix equal parts white grape juice and lemon-lime soda; serve over ice with sliced fruit.

Crazy Airplane Hotel Room Conversion in Costa Rica

2010-08-08T03:52:00.001+05:30

Photograph by Vincent Costello

Located on a coastal rainforest bluff overlooking the Pacific, Hotel Costa Verde near Quepos, Costa Rica, features one of the most unique hotel rooms I’ve ever encountered. A two bedroom, fully retrofitted, vintage 1965 Boeing 727 fuselage, available on your next vacation! Check out the incredible pics and information below on this one-of-a-kind lodging.

Photograph by Vincent Costello

HISTORY OF THE PLANE

- A refurbished, vintage 1965 Boeing 727 airframe, which originally shuttled globetrotters on South Africa Air and Avianca Airlines (Colombia)
- Salvaged the airframe, piece by piece, from its San Jose airport resting place. Each piece was carefully transported on five, big-rig trucks to the jungles of Manuel Antonio
- Plane is now nestled on the edge of the National Park perched on a 50-foot pedestal. At this height, you can enjoy scenic ocean and jungle views from the hard wood deck built atop the plane’s former right wing

Photograph by Vincent Costello

AIRPLANE HOTEL ROOM INTERIOR

- The plane’s interior is Costa Rican teak paneling from the cockpit to the tail
- Furnishings are hand-carved, teak furniture from Java, Indonesia
- The vintage 727 home features two air conditioned bedrooms one with two queen sized beds and the other with one queen sized bed, each with its own private bathroom
- Additional amenities include: flat screen TV, kitchenette, dining area foyer, an ocean view terrace, private entrance up a river rock, a spiral staircase, and 360 degree views of surrounding gardens
- Common treetop neighbours include: sloths, toucans and monkeys

Photograph by Vincent Costello

EXECUTIVE 727 SUITE RATES

Summer Season | $500 plus tax - Jan 02, 2010 - April 30, 2010
Green Season | $400 plus tax - May 01, 2010 - Nov 18, 2010
Summer Season | $500 plus tax - Nov 19, 2010 - Dec 22, 2010
Christmas Season | $700 plus tax - Dec 23, 2010 - Jan 01, 2011
Summer Season | $500 plus tax - Jan 02, 2011 - April 30, 2011
Green Season | $400 plus tax - May 01, 2011 - Nov 19, 2011

Photograph by Vincent Costello

Photograph by Vincent Costello

HOTEL CASA VERDE

- Hotel Costa Verde is located three hundred yards from the beach and Manuel Antonio National Park
- It features two cliffside pools with sundecks and spacious rooms and balconies, all offering a bird’s-eye view of the Park’s coastline plus rainforest canopy vistas dotted with native birds and monkeys
- Costa Verde offers accommodations for a variety of options for vacation living, including air conditioned studio apartments with cable TV, and Costa Verde II, a special group of 15 studios designed exclusively for couples with an open-air design and no air conditioning, glass windows or TV
- In addition, they have bungalows available for vacationers interested in renting a private house. Each area has its own swimming pool and vistas

Photograph by Vincent Costello

How to stop cough in 5 minutes

2010-08-04T06:20:00.002+05:30

This is a must try....

We have all been kept awake by our own or someone else's cough. Try this and pass it on. The tip and not the cough. ANYTHING is betterthan antibiotics. Even babies could benefit from this and the parents wouldn't worry about the safety of their child. And of course, it is harmless and free from any type of side-effects.

WOW! I was raised, and raised my kids with Vicks. How come I never knew this? I can't wait for my next cough. Amazing!

READ IT ALL. It works 100 percent of the time, although the scientists at the Canada Research council (who discovered it) aren't sure why.

Treatment:
To stop night time coughing in a child (or an adult, as we found out personally), put Vicks Vapor Rub generously on the bottom of the feet at bedtime and then cover with socks.

Even persistent, heavy, deep coughing will stop in about five minutes and stay stopped for many, many hours of relief. This works 100 percent of the time, and is more effective in children than even very strong prescription cough medicines. In addition it is extremely soothing and comforting and they will sleep soundly. I heard the head of the Canada Research Council describe these findings on the part of their scientists when they were investigating the effectiveness and usage of prescription cough medicines in children, as compared to alternative therapies like acupressure. I just happened to tune in to a.m. Radio and picked up this guy talking about why cough medicines in kids often do more harm than good due to the chemical makeup of these strong drugs, so I listened. It was a surprising finding and found to be more effective than prescribed medicines for children at bedtime, and in addition to have a soothing and calming effect on sick children who then went on to sleep soundly.

My friend tried it on herself when she had a very deep constant and persistent cough a few weeks ago, and it worked 100 percent! She said it felt like a warm blanket had enveloped her. The coughing stopped in a few minutes, and believe me this was a deep (incredibly annoying!) every few seconds, uncontrollable cough and she slept cough-free for hours every night she used it.

If you have children or grandchildren, pass it on. If you end up sick, try it yourself and you will be absolutely amazed.

How to stop cough in 5 minutes!!! This is a must try...

Top 9 Amazing Facts About Dreams

2010-08-01T02:23:00.002+05:30

This afternoon I had a (very rare) nap. During that nap I had a lucid dream (most of which I no longer remember). As I was waking up, I was thinking about my dream and thought that it would be a great idea to write a list about dreams for the site. So, here are the top 10 amazing facts about dreams.

9. Blind People Dream

People who become blind after birth can see images in their dreams. People who are born blind do not see any images, but have dreams equally vivid involving their other senses of sound, smell, touch and emotion. It is hard for a seeing person to imagine, but the body’s need for sleep is so strong that it is able to handle virtually all physical situations to make it happen.

8. You Forget 90% of your Dreams

Within 5 minutes of waking, half of your dream if forgotten. Within 10, 90% is gone. The famous poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, woke one morning having had a fantastic dream (likely opium induced) - he put pen to paper and began to describe his “vision in a dream” in what has become one of English’s most famous poems: Kubla Khan. Part way through (54 lines in fact) he was interrupted by a “Person from Porlock“. Coleridge returned to his poem but could not remember the rest of his dream. The poem was never completed.

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.
[…]

Curiously, Robert Louis Stevenson came up with the story of Doctor Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde whilst he was dreaming. Wikipedia has more on that here. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was also the brainchild of a dream.

7. Everybody Dreams

Every human being dreams (except in cases of extreme psychological disorder) but men and women have different dreams and different physical reactions. Men tend to dream more about other men, while women tend to dream equally about men and women. In addition, both men and women experience sexually related physical reactions to their dreams regardless of whether the dream is sexual in nature; males experience erections and females experience increased vaginal blood flow.

6. Dreams Prevent Psychosis

In a recent sleep study, students who were awakened at the beginning of each dream, but still allowed their 8 hours of sleep, all experienced difficulty in concentration, irritability, hallucinations, and signs of psychosis after only 3 days. When finally allowed their REM sleep the student’s brains made up for lost time by greatly increasing the percentage of sleep spent in the REM stage.

5. Not Everyone Dreams in Color

A full 12% of sighted people dream exclusively in black and white. The remaining number dream in full color. People also tend to have common themes in dreams, which are situations relating to school, being chased, running slowly/in place, sexual experiences, falling, arriving too late, a person now alive being dead, teeth falling out, flying, failing an examination, or a car accident. It is unknown whether the impact of a dream relating to violence or death is more emotionally charged for a person who dreams in color than one who dreams in black and white.

4. Dreams are not about what they are about

If you dream about some particular subject it is not often that the dream is about that. Dreams speak in a deeply symbolic language. The unconscious mind tries to compare your dream to something else, which is similar. Its like writing a poem and saying that a group of ants were like machines that never stop. But you would never compare something to itself, for example: “That beautiful sunset was like a beautiful sunset”. So whatever symbol your dream picks on it is most unlikely to be a symbol for itself.

3. Quitters have more vivid dreams

People who have smoked cigarettes for a long time who stop, have reported much more vivid dreams than they would normally experience. Additionally, according to the Journal of Abnormal Psychology: “Among 293 smokers abstinent for between 1 and 4 weeks, 33% reported having at least 1 dream about smoking. In most dreams, subjects caught themselves smoking and felt strong negative emotions, such as panic and guilt. Dreams about smoking were the result of tobacco withdrawal, as 97% of subjects did not have them while smoking, and their occurrence was significantly related to the duration of abstinence. They were rated as more vivid than the usual dreams and were as common as most major tobacco withdrawal symptoms.”

2. External Stimuli Invade our Dreams

This is called Dream Incorporation and it is the experience that most of us have had where a sound from reality is heard in our dream and incorporated in some way. A similar (though less external) example would be when you are physically thirsty and your mind incorporates that feeling in to your dream. My own experience of this includes repeatedly drinking a large glass of water in the dream which satisfies me, only to find the thirst returning shortly after - this thirst… drink… thirst… loop often recurs until I wake up and have a real drink. The famous painting above (Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening) by Salvador Dali, depicts this concept.

1. You are paralyzed while you sleep

Believe it or not, your body is virtually paralyzed during your sleep - most likely to prevent your body from acting out aspects of your dreams. According to the Wikipedia article on dreaming, “Glands begin to secrete a hormone that helps induce sleep and neurons send signals to the spinal cord which cause the body to relax and later become essentially paralyzed.”
Bonus: Extra Facts

1. Toddlers do not dream about themselves until around the age of 3. From the same age, children typically have many more nightmares than adults do until age 7 or 8.
2. If you are awakened out of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, you are more likely to remember your dream in a more vivid way than you would if you woke from a full night sleep.

7 Scientifically Proven Ways To Stimulate Brain Cell Growth/ Neurogenesis

2010-08-01T02:11:00.003+05:30

Neurogenesis - “The birth of new neurons in the brain; also referred to as the process in which neurons are created.”
The growth of new brain cells occurs in the region of the brain called the “hippocampus.” The ‘hippocampus’ is an area involved with memory, learning, and other cognitive functions. In order to live and become part of our brain, new neurons formed in the hippocampus-region need support from surrounding nutrients from blood and glial cells.

Most importantly, they need support from other surrounding neurons - otherwise these new brain cells will die. Though thousands of new brain cells are formed and produced via the hippocampus each and every day, many die quickly after birth. When we can keep them alive for this crucial period after birth, we are able to effectively boost the power of the human brain by adding new brain cells to the bank of existing cells.

Though neurogenesis is most active during prenatal development, there is growing evidence that certain activities also induce the growth of new brain cells [neurons] in the brain. Provided below are 7 researched and proven ways to grow new brain cells and provide a safe haven for effective neurogenesis.

1. An Exercise Regimen

Everybody knows that exercise is good for your overall health and heart, but in recent findings, powerful evidence has proven that exercise is great for your brain. Scientific experiments have discovered that mice consistently using running wheels had around 2x the amount of hippocampal neurons (brain cells) as the mice that didn’t exercise.

Another study at Colombia University found that humans who had a exercise training program were able to grow and maintain new brain cells and nerve cells in the hippocampus region of the brain. The specific area called the “dentate gyrus” is responsible for helping produce neurogenesis. Even more studies have discovered that those who exercised had 2 - 3x increases in the birth-rate of new neurons!

2. Eating Blueberries

Eating blueberries can trigger the growth of new brain cells? That’s right! 19-month-old rats that were put on a blueberry enriched diet [equal to about 1 cup per day for humans] were more skilled at navigating through mazes than rats who weren’t fed blueberries. Scientists know for a fact that blueberries promote the growth of new neurons. In order to track the growth of neurons, researchers injected dye into rats.

They saw that in the hippocampus region, new brain cells were generated. Scientists figure that “anthocyanin dye” - the dark bluish-dye found in blueberries caused the neurogenesis. The anthocyanin-dye contains chemicals that can cross the blood-brain barrier and produce the growth of neurons. There is growing evidence that the “anthocyanin dye” has the same effect on the brains of humans!

3. Taking Time for Meditation

Meditation has always thought to have been beneficial for the brain. Recent compelling evidence from scientific researchers at Yale, Harvard, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology revealed that meditation can allow us to “grow bigger brains.” Though this isn’t the same thing as neurogenesis, meditation could very well be an activity that boosts the birth rate of neurons.

Researchers also discovered that meditators literally had an altered-physical brain structure compared to non-meditators. Brain scanning technology [i.e. MRIs] showed that meditation boosted thickness of brain structure dealing with attention, sensory input, and memory functions. The thickening was found to be more noticeable in adults than younger individuals. It’s interesting because the same sections of our cortex that meditation thickens, tend to get thinner as we age.

Meditation is known to boost brain activity, coherency of brain waves, strengthen neural connections, and thicken gray matter. Though scientists haven’t confirmed the effects of meditation and its ability to aid neurogenesis [due to complexity issues], there is a likely possibility that it helps.

4. Antidepressant Drugs

Scientific research by the National Institute of Mental Health has proven that antidepressants work by allowing our brains to grow new brain cells (neurons). In a 2003 study, scientists discovered that when they blocked the formation of new neurons in the hippocampus brain region, behavioral effects of the antidepressant Prozac [Fluoxetine] were diminished.
Research has already understood that depression, stress, and anxiety disorders can cause death of neurons in the brain. More studies have demonstrated that most other antidepressants on the market can and will trigger the growth of new neurons. Even more interesting is the fact that besides humans, adult animals grow new neurons when given antidepressant drugs.

Though there are many other interactions in the brain with antidepressants, their primary beneficial effect from them is derived from their ability to produce neurogenesis. Now if scientists can only figure out a way to induce the amount of neurogenesis that antidepressant medication does without creating a new drug!

5. An Enriched Environment

Science has long known that living in a mentally stimulating environment vs. an impoverished environment is far better for brain development. Research has found that exposure to an enriched environment enhances neurogenesis functioning and is able to regulate emotionality.

Scientists have found that memory-based tasks were far improved in the hippocampus region of the brain when human beings are raised in a healthy, enriched environment. One study found that mice put in stimulating environments actually had larger hippocampus regions than did those living in “standard” or “poor” laboratory conditions. They discovered a direct correlation between an enriched environment and the amount of neurons produced in the brains of mice. This had a significant effect on neurogenesis!

6. The Act of “Learning”

Though scientists have long known that new brain cells are able “enhance learning” - they never thought that “learning” could actually cause the birth of new brain cells… that is, until recently. In recent animal studies, researchers have found that there was a direct relationship between “learning” and the survival rate of newly-birthed brain cells.

When researchers taught certain rodents a wide-variety of cognitive tasks which involved a wide-range of brain areas - scientists found that the more the animal “learned” - the more new neurons were able to survive in the hippocampus. Scientists have made it clear that “learning” can increase the presence of new neurons in the brain.

Brain cells that are born in the hippocampus, which normally die off, are literally “rescued” by “learning” experiences. There is still plenty of research being conducted in this area and not all sources agree. However, your best bet is to keep your brain power boosted and your mind sharp. Always try to learn something new!

7. Restricting Caloric Intake

The phenomena of calorie restriction has continued to puzzle researchers. They have found that eating less food can lead to significant increases in longevity. Even when starting calorie restriction in middle age, it is able to produce around a ten to twenty percent increase in life-span. It has also been associated with hundreds of biological changes and can harbor our ability to produce new brain cells.

Restricting calorie intake has been associated with increases in neurogenesis and a better overall neuroprotective effect in the brain. Scientists have found that calorie-restricted animals nearly always stay active and healthy up until the end of their lives’. This phenomena has also been associated with a significantly lowered likelihood of developing a degenerative brain disease and can even produce new nerve cells!

GHSBHHV16450448

The 3rd man in history to ever walk on water!

2010-07-29T04:31:00.001+05:30

The 1st one was Jesus Christ...
The 2nd one was Peter (the apostle)...

...

Then there was this guy....... Jose;-)

Teen Trades up on Craigslist from Phone to Porsche in 2 Years

2010-07-28T03:43:00.002+05:30

In a world where many teens seem to lack both patience and common sense, one teen in Glendora, CA, demonstrated both masterfully.

Steven Ortiz, 17, used Craigslist to trade his way up from an old cell phone to a Porsche. It took him 2 years of bartering like mad, but it appears that the effort was worth it. He’s the only student at Charter Oak High School who drives a Porsche to school.

His path from old cell phone to Porsche included working his way up to an iPod, then a MacBook Pro laptop. Eventually, Ortiz traded up from electronics to dirt bikes, then cars and trucks, and an SUV.

“A lot of my friends are jealous,” Ortiz said. “A lot of my friends come up to me and tell me, ‘You want to trade my phone for a car? Try to get me a Ferrari.’ I tell them it’s not that easy. It takes time and patience, definitely.”

Ortiz’s skill at identifying a good deal started years ago when he would buy cell phones off of his friends. At $30 each, he would turn around and sell the used cell phones online for three times the amount he paid. He also picked up a knack for repairing electronics, which enabled him to take something that was almost worthless and get it functioning again.

Eventually, Ortiz discovered bartering. Many people online are looking for ways to exchange something they don’t need in order to get something they do need. These same people often realize that they can get more through bartering than through selling the item for cash.

“A lot of people don’t have money right now, in this economy. So they think, `I really need a new phone, but I don’t have the money. Here I have this CD player lying around that I don’t use anymore, maybe I can trade,”‘ Steven’s father Esteban explained.

Like many Americans, the Ortiz family has been hit hard by the economy. But with his uncanny ability to scour the Web for incredible deals, Steven Ortiz has still managed to get whatever he wants, despite facing eonomic hardship.

Source: autointhenews.com

Who Said Taking the Train was Boring? Swinging on San Francisco's BART

2010-07-28T03:17:00.001+05:30

Is This the Beginning of a New Meme? Swings in Trains?
Somebody decided to make the world just a little bit more interesting, and three red swings appeared on the BART Public Transit System in San Francisco for the public to enjoy. You really need to check out the photos below, they're great.

Source: .treehugger.com

A Star Is Born—Just Not with That Name

2010-07-28T02:28:00.001+05:30

It’s not uncommon for stars to change their names before making it big. Whether to avoid confusion (one comedian’s birth name was Albert Einstein) or to add that special star quality (another famous heartthrob upgraded from Archie Leach), swapping out given names is a time-honored Hollywood tradition. Read on to see if you know which well-known stars have given the term “name dropping” a whole new meaning.

Albert Brooks (Birth name: Albert Einstein)

Through his first year of college, actor Albert Brooks was known by his birth name, Albert Einstein (no relation). To avoid confusion with the famous scientist, the actor chose Brooks, a family name, when he began his stand-up comedy career. The name switch was an obvious move for him: When asked why he did it, he replied: “Do I even have to answer?” Photo by Retna.

Ben Kingsley (Birth name: Krishna Bhanji)

The Academy Award winner was born in England as Krishna Pandit Bhanji—Krishna is the name of a Hindu god and Bhanji is a Muslim surname. He started his acting career in the theater, but when he decided to make the move to film, he changed his name because he, along with his father, believed a British name would help him succeed. He chose his father’s nickname, Ben, and a last name inspired by his grandfather’s nickname, King Clove. Of the name change, Kingsley has said: “The irony is that I changed my name from Krishna Bhanji to Ben Kingsley in order to play Mohandas Gandhi!” Photo by Retna.

Cary Grant (Birth name: Archibald Alexander Leach)

Hollywood legend Cary Grant was once known by a far less recognizable name—Archibald Alexander Leach. In order to escape his working-class English upbringing, Grant ran away from home and joined a troupe of comedians and acrobats. His travels with the troupe eventually led him to Hollywood, where he was offered a contract from Paramount under one condition: that he change his name to Cary Lockwood. After some negotiations, he settled on Cary Grant. Photo by Getty Images.

Charlie Sheen (Birth name: Carlos Irwin Estévez)

Like father, like son. Actor Charlie Sheen, born Carlos Irwin Estévez, decided to take dad Martin Sheen’s surname instead. But Martin Sheen was actually born Ramón Antonio Gerard Estévez, and adopted the name Sheen from his favorite Catholic archbishop, Fulton J. Sheen, in order to improve his chances at an acting career. It looks like it worked for both generations. Photo by Retna.

Demi Moore (Birth name: Demetria Guynes)

Despite the fact that Demi Moore no longer goes by her birth name, Demetria (her last name is from first husband Freddy Moore), she clearly has an affinity for unusual monikers: She named her three daughters Rumer, Scout and Tallulah. And it seems that name-swapping runs in the family: In 2007, Moore’s daughter Tallulah Willis (then 13 years old) legally changed her name to Lula Willis. Photo by Retna.

Elton John (Birth name: Reginald Kenneth Dwight)

The iconic singer, born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, changed his name to pursue fame. His choice was inspired by singer Long John Baldry and sax player Elton Dean. The star never felt at ease with his birth name—he’s even said that hearing it made him cringe—because he thought it didn’t have enough star power. “If you're going to make a record, Reg Dwight is not going to make it," he’s said. Photo by Retna.

Judy Garland (Birth name: Frances Ethel Gumm)

Judy Garland, born Frances Gumm, and her sisters used to tour the vaudeville circuit as “The Gumm Sisters.” But when the name was met with laughter at a performance, they were encouraged to choose a new moniker. The reason behind the choice of Garland remains a mystery, but there are plenty of theories. Two such explanations: that it was a tribute to the character Lily Garland from the film Twentieth Century, and that the trio had been told they were prettier than “a garland of flowers.” The star chose Judy as her first name based on a popular song. Photo by Getty Images.

Michael Keaton (Birth name: Michael Douglas)

Actor Michael Keaton was actually named Michael Douglas, but when he moved to Los Angeles and started auditioning for TV roles, he had to change his name to avoid confusion with the more well-known star. He chose Keaton for a surname because he’d read an article about actress Diane Keaton and thought her name sounded good. Years later, Michael called Diane and thanked her for her name, but the two have more in common than he realized: Diane Keaton was actually born Diane Hall. Photo by Retna.

Miley Ray Cyrus (Birth name: Destiny Hope Cyrus)

At age 15, Destiny Hope Cyrus legally changed her name to her childhood nickname, Miley. Her friends and family used to call her “Smiley” which eventually changed to “Miley.” As a tribute to her dad, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley adopted “Ray” as her middle name. Photo by Retna.

Whoopi Goldberg (Birth name: Caryn Johnson)

We have to agree: Caryn Johnson just isn’t as catchy as Whoopi Goldberg. The actress decided to give up her birth name when she started acting, and instead chose to go by her nickname, “Whoopee Cushion” (we’ll let you imagine how she got that name). Her mother convinced her to change her last name to something more conventional, and suggested Goldberg. Photo by Retna.

Mickey Rooney (Birth name: Joe Yule, Jr.)

Actor Mickey Rooney, born Joe Yule, Jr., got his big break when he was a child actor—he scored the part of Mickey McGuire in a show based on a comic book series. His mother wanted to legally change his name to Mickey McGuire to beef up the publicity for the show, but the comic’s creator wasn’t wild about the plan, so they went with Mickey Rooney instead. Photo by WireImage.

Shirley MacLaine (Birth name: Shirley Beaty)

Because she changed her name, it’s not common knowledge that actress Shirley MacLaine is actor Warren Beatty’s big sister (he added the extra “t” himself). During her early acting career she was auditioning for a role and the producer kept mispronouncing her name, so she opted to change it from Beaty to MacLaine. But she kept her first name, which was inspired by Shirley Temple. Photo by Getty Images.

Anne Rice (Birth name: Howard Allen O’Brien)

Author Anne Rice didn’t have fame in mind when she changed her name from Howard. According to Rice, her mother had named her after her father, but when a nun asked Rice what her name was on the first day of school, she told her it was “Anne.” Her mother, knowing how self-conscious Rice was about her given name, let it go, and she’s been known as Anne ever since. Clearly a fan of playing the name game, Rice has also published novels under the pen names Anne Rampling and A.N. Roquelaure. Photo by Retna.

Bono (Birth name: Paul Hewson)

Thanks to his vocal skills, the lead singer of U2 was given the nickname Bono Vox—which means “good voice” in Latin—by a friend. He dropped the Vox and became known as Bono by everyone, including close friends and family. Photo by AFP/Getty Images.

Elvis Costello (Birth name: Declan MacManus)

Musician Elvis Costello, born Declan MacManus, has gone through plenty of monikers. During early performances he adopted the name DP Costello, a tribute to his father, who performed as Day Costello (Costello was his great-grandmother’s maiden name). A few years later, Costello’s manager decided to change his first name to Elvis, after the legendary musician. About 10 years after that, he decided to go back to his original name, adding Aloysius as a middle name. Finally, he adopted the alias Napoleon Dynamite for his 1986 album, Blood and Chocolate. Photo by Getty Images.

Source: womansday.com

Cars from Fast & Furious (2009)

2010-07-26T04:05:00.001+05:30

1987 Buick GNX

Dom and Letty use this car in the opening scenes of Fast & Furious, as they've gone back to hijacking trucks on the move. The Buick GNX was a hot rod version of the sleepy Buick Regal, and was claimed as the fastest production car ever built at the time. The all black appearance of the car also earned it the nickname "the Darth Vader car."

1970 Dodge Charger R/T

Look familiar? This is the resurrected version of the Charger that Dom wrecks at the end of the first film. Those who know what to look for can see some minor changes to the trim, and in reality it's probably an entirely new car.

1998 Nissan Skyline GT-R (GT-BNR34)

Brian O'Connor loves him some Skylines. We saw him drive a silver one in the second film, and he builds this one from the parts of two Skylines and a new Nissan GT-R, all conveniently impounded by the authorities. That must be one of the perks of being a cop; you get to use the impound lot as your personal parts store.

1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS

Considering how Dom tends to wreck cars, it's hard to believe he's still driving this Chevelle. We saw it at the end of the first movie, and it's still red when we first see it in the latest movie, but for some reason he decides to repaint it to primer grey. We're not sure why, but in any color, it still looks like it's going to be fast enough to melt your face off.

2001 BMW M5

German cars get no love in the Fast & Furious series. BMWs and Mercedes show up in races only to be wrecked, both as race cars and obstacles. Which is a shame, because the M5 is a great car. We can only hope that the next chapter embraces the European tuning scene. But maybe that's what the Transporter series is for.

1972 Ford Gran Torino Sport

The latest Fast & Furious has a lot more American muscle than we've seen before, and this Gran Torino is a fine example. The red and white Gran Torino featured on Starsky & Hutch is probably the most famous example of Ford's other (non-Mustang) muscle car.

2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STi

Another refugee from the impound yard. What the WRX STi lacks in the looks department (someone here said it looks like a minivan), it makes up for in speed and handling. The STi is the street legal version of Subaru's series of World Rally champion cars, and like the Mitsubishi Evos, was made more popular by the Gran Turismo game series.

1973 Chevrolet F-Bomb Camaro

Hot Rod magazine Editor in Chief David Freiburger took an $800 Camaro beater and turned it into a 1500-horsepower, twin turbo beast of a car. Dubbed "Project F-Bomb," the idea was to create a street legal car that could also dominate at the drag strip, harkening back to the good old days of "run what you brung." The F-Bomb seen in the movie isn't the original car, but even use of the replica shows a surprising awareness of the muscle car scene in a film series mainly known for hot import tuners.

Cars from The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)

2010-07-26T04:03:00.001+05:30

1967 Chevrolet Monte Carlo

Sean is pretty proud of his Auto Shop project, and rightly so; he completely schools a fellow student on fast cars and how to drive them. It's a shame that the car got destroyed after the race, but hopefully Sean got a tape of the wreck like he had asked for.

2004 Volkswagen Touran

Hulk too big for puny Volkswagen! Hulk SMASH!!!

2000 Nissan Silvia S15

Twinkie calls this car the "Mona Lisa" of drift cars, but Sean's first foray into drifting all but totals it. Earlier versions of the Silvia made it to the US, most notably as the 240SX, but this particular model was never sold in America.

2006 Nissan 350Z

At the time the 350Z was the latest model of Nissan's famed Z series, although the Japanese automaker has since created the 370Z. DK drives this car in both of his races against Sean; DK easily wins the first race, and rolls down the side of a mountain in the second race.

1997 Mazda RX-7

This car started out as a standard RX-7, but Veilside rebuilt it with a custom widebody kit, allowing for a wider stance. Han uses it as his daily driver, and shows Sean that if you go fast enough, the police in Tokyo won't even bother trying to catch you.

2006 Mazda RX-8

Sean talks trash about Neela's car, telling her that she'd be better off with a V-8 motor. But Neela later takes him drifting through the mountains, proving that there isn't anything wrong with her ride.

2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX

Sean learns to drift in this Evo, and shreds more than a few tires in the process. The Evo is normally 4WD, but this one's been modified to a rear drive only configuration, making for better drifting ability.

1967 Ford Mustang Fastback (NISMO)

Sean's father picked up this motorless Mustang at the naval base, but hadn't really done much with it. When Sean proposes a final race against DK, he and his friends salvage the motor from Han's Silvia and install it in the Mustang chassis. Although this Frankenstein-style creation wins the race, Mustang purists shook their heads at this monstrosity.

Cars from 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)

2010-07-26T04:00:00.001+05:30

1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R (GT-BNR34)

The Nissan Skyline GT-R is a classic "grey market" car; never sold by Nissan in the US, but enterprising individuals can use some legal loopholes to acquire one and make it street legal. It's not particularly well known to non-aficianados, but to those in the know the Skyline is a legend. Think of it as Nissan's Mustang and you begin to get the idea.

2001 Honda S2000

A rare roadster makes an appearance in the Fast & Furious series, but this Honda is no mere boulevard cruiser. The stock version of the S2000 was a lightweight, perfectly balanced sports car. Suki's car has a Veilside body kit, a custom pink paint job, and a great big bottle of nitrous in the trunk.

1994 Mazda RX-7

Another RX-7 makes the list, and for good reason. The third generation of Mazda's famous sports car was Motor Trend's Car of the Year in 1993. That was the same year that Playboy magazine tested it against a Dodge Viper and judged the RX-7 to be the better car. This particular car doesn't get much respect though; Orange Julius drives it into a billboard while racing Brian's Skyline.

2000 Acura NSX

This NSX makes a very brief appearance in 2 Fast 2 Furious. We only ever see it sitting outside Tej's (Ludacris) garage, because Tej doesn't really race anymore. But it does have a sweet custom Louis Vuitton pattern, and so we're including it on this list.

2002 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII

The Evolution series is Mitsubishi's sporty version of what would otherwise be a mundane economy car. The Evos have become a mainstay in the World Rally circuit, and if you've ever played Gran Turismo you've probably seen the dozens of different Evos featured in the game. In fact, the Gran Turismo games helped popularize the Evo series in the US, and Brian's version isn't the last one we'll see in the series.

2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS-T Spyder

Since the second film in the franchise takes place in Miami, the filmmakers obviously thought some ragtops were needed, and so we see Suki's S2000 and this purple racer. Both Roman's Eclipse and Brian's Evo are wired with GPS tracking devices, which leads to their need for the next two cars on this list.

1970 Dodge Challenger R/T

If you saw Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof, then you got to see a Challenger in one of the greatest car chases in recent film history. Tarantino used a white Challenger as an homage to Vanishing Point, but in any color, the Challenger was a hot car (even without the ejector seat seen in 2 Fast 2 Furious).

1969 Chevrolet Camaro Yenko sYc

Muscle car fans like to talk down to the import tuner crowd by saying "there's no replacement for displacement," and it's cars like the Yenko Camaro that back up that kind of talk. In case you were wondering, the sYc stands for Yenko Super Car.

Cars from The Fast and the Furious (2001)

2010-07-26T03:55:00.002+05:30

1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse

We first see this Mitsubishi screaming around the parking lot at Dodger Stadium as undercover cop Brian O'Connor tries to hone his drag race driving skills. But the car isn't fast enough for him, leading him to install a nitrous oxide system that ultimately leads to the poor car's doom.

1993 Mazda RX-7

In the movie, Dominic's RX-7 features a killer sound system and nitrous bottles hidden under the passenger seat. This is the first hint that the movies are going for style over substance; as much as Dom lectures Brian about "real racers," he seems to have forgotten that a subwoofer won't make a car go any faster. Real racers know that stereo equipment only functions as dead weight in the quarter mile.

1994 Acura Integra

The Toretto clan seems to be all about cars, and Mia (played by Jordana Brewster) is no exception. The first chapter of the series finds her zipping around LA in this Integra, showing that serious driving skills seem to run in the Toretto family.

1995 Toyota Supra Turbo

After his Eclipse explodes (we told you that nitrous was dangerous), Brian still owes Dom a 10-second car. So Brian acquires a totaled Supra, and Dom's crew takes a relatively fast car and turns it into a highly-tuned monster that can apparently outrace a Ferrari.

1995 Volkswagen Jetta A3

Admittedly, Jesse's Jetta isn't really that hot; the body modifications look awkward, and it doesn't help that it loses the only race we hear about. But the German marques are woefully absent in the entire Fast and Furious, and so we're sneaking in this VW.

1995 Honda Civic

This is one of three Hondas that Dom's crew used to hijack big rigs. You could argue that the Honda Civic is to the tuner scene what the 32 Ford was to the classic hot rod scene; an inexpensive, easily modified car that makes for a great racing platform. Or in this case, the perfect highway hijacking platform.

1970 Dodge Charger R/T

It's always a treat to see a car with so much torque that the body twists when you rev the engine. So what's with the fake blower sticking through the hood? OK, so it looks cool, but in reality the air intake sticking through the hood is purly a cosmetic installation. Adding insult to injury, what's probably the hottest car in the the first movie ends up dying in a spectacular crash at the end of a race, breaking the hearts of muscle car fans around the world.

1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS

You didn't get to see this car unless you stayed through entire end credits of The Fast and the Furious. After Dom drives off in Brian's Supra, he apparently heads down to Mexico and at some point picks up this classic hot rod. And though we only see it for a moment in the first film, this Chevy makes a big comeback in the latest installment.

Amazing Underwater River : Cenote Angelita in Mexico

2010-07-25T21:14:00.003+05:30

Underwater River in Mexico

If you are a professional diver you should visit Cenote Angelita Mexico.

These amazing pictures were taken by Anatoly Beloshchin in the cave Cenote Angelita,

Mexico. Here’s his description: “We are 30 meters deep, fresh water, then 60 meters deep

– salty water and under me I see a river, island and fallen leaves… Actually,

the river, which you can see, is a layer of hydrogen sulphide.”
It must be an unforgettable feeling once you’re there and see it with your own eyes.

30 Old PC Ads That Will Blow Your Processor

2010-07-25T03:32:00.001+05:30

Many people today either are too young to have ever seen some early pc’s or have forgotten what they looked like and how much they cost. Today we complain about the cost of a laptop running 2Ghz with 4GB ram for a cost of $ 400.00, however it wasn’t that long ago that laptops and pc’s were priced quite a bit higher. Here are 30 Old PC ads that will make you laugh and possibly appreciate what you have today.

10MB Drive for $ 3398.00
Today you can get a 1TB drive for $ 85.00
1TB is about 100,000 times larger than 10MB
—

This is an early Laptop, with 64K of memory
Today laptops have 2 to 4 Gig of memory
4GB is about 64,000 times larger than 64K
—

Here are two disk systems, 80MB for $ 12K and 300MB for $ 20K
Today you can get a DVD that holds 4Gig for $ .75 each
A 4GB DVD is about 14 times larger than a 300MB Disk
—

Here is a 16K RAM Memory Card, $ 495.00
Today you can get 4GB RAM for $ 99.00
4GB Ram is about 256,000 times larger than 16K
—

This is an early modem, delivering 4800 BPS
Modems today deliver 56K
56K is about 12 times faster
—

This early PC is offering dual floppy drives and 128K of RAM
Today PC’s have between 2 to 4 GB RAM
4GB RAM is about 32,000 times larger than 128K
—

Yes this was my first video game system. Yes those are the joy sticks.
Todays game systems are far more advances in graphics, controlers, etc.
—

Here is another early laptop, this one can expand up to 640KB RAM
Today laptops have 2 to 4 Gig of memory
4GB is about 6,000 times larger than 640KB
—

Checkout this Amiga, promoting the quality of graphics it can produce.
—

Apple does it again, 5Mhz with 1MB RAM
Today PCs are 3Ghz with 4GB RAM
3Ghz is 600 times faster and 4GB RAM is 4000 times larger than 1MB RAM
—

This ATARI Computer has 48K or RAM and offers 128 colors
Today PC’s have 4GB RAM and offer 32 Bit color which is 4.2 billion colors
—

The TRS-80 was produced in the late 70’s and early 80’s with 1.7Mhz processor and 4KB RAM
Today PCs are 3Ghz with 4GB RAM
3Ghz is 1700 times faster and 4GB RAM is 1 Million times larger than 4KB RAM
—

This early pc offered a 13″ screen for just $ 3300.00
—

I’m not sure about the specs, but this looks more like a typewritter
—

The price is coming down, this pc offeres 4KB RAM for only $ 249.00
—

The ACE1000 offers 64KRAM and includes upper and lower case keys, plus num lock
Today pc’s offer 4GB RAM and all include shift keys plus num lock
4GB is about 6,000 times larger than 640KB
—

Get up and running right with this PC, offering 4K RAM and a cassette player
I’m not sure you can even buy cassette’s anymore
—

This was the latest and greatest in laptop design
How would you like to carry that around during school
—

The TRS-80 was produced in the late 70’s and early 80’s with 1.7Mhz processor and 4KB RAM
Today PCs are 3Ghz with 4GB RAM
3Ghz is 1700 times faster and 4GB RAM is 1 Million times larger than 4KB RAM
—

How about another 10MB Hard Drive for $ 3,495.00
Today you can get a 1TB drive for $ 85.00
1TB is about 100,000 times larger than 10MB
—

One of Mac’s early computers, offeres 32 Bit Processor
—

Here’s a 15MB Hard Drive for $ 2,495.00, the price is coming down
Today you can get a 1TB drive for $ 85.00
1TB is about 69,000 times larger than 15MB
—

This Tandy 5000 offers a blazing 20Mhz processor and 2MB RAM
Today PCs are 3Ghz with 4GB RAM
3Ghz is 150 times faster and 4GB RAM is 2000 times larger than 2MB RAM
—

Here’s a PC in a breifcase, complete with modem and 5″ monitor.
Today pc’s don’t have to plug the whole phone in, just the phone line and have up 22″+ monitors.
—

Checkout the joysticks and other options that come with this pc.
—

Produced in early 80’s, the VIC-20 came with 5KB RAM
Today pc’s come with 4GB RAM
4GB is about 838,000 times larger than 5KB
—

For only $ 999.00 you can get this pc that offers 384K RAM and 20M Hard Disk Card.
Today pc’s come with 4GB RAM and 500+ GB Drives
4GB is about 10,000 times larger than 384KB RAM and 500 GB drive is about 25000 times larger than 20M
—

Here’s a basic pc that offered 4K RAM that you had to hook up to a TV.
—

Another personal pc that offeres 4K RAM for under $ 199.95, but didn’t come with a monitor.

The ZX81 offered 1K RAM but expanded up to 16K RAM and could hook up to any TV

Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates

2010-07-25T02:51:00.001+05:30

Unsecured High Risk Loan

2010-07-25T00:19:00.002+05:30

An unsecured high risk loan can be hard to find, and even harder to find is an affordable interest rate, but there are things you can do to better the situation.

When lenders look at applications they decide who to lend to based on how much of a risk they are taking with each applicant that they won't be repaid. When you have a bad credit history the lender sees this as a pattern, and decides it is riskier to lend to you than other people. If they decide to still lend to you, they raise the interest rates according to how much of a risk they feel they are taking. To ensure approval of your application, and to get offered the best interest rates possible, you want to show the company reasons you are likely to make your payments on time.

Unsecured high risk loans are given largely based on your credit score. Your score is determined based on the information in your credit report. The first thing you can do to better your application is to fix anything you can on the report. If accounts you've already paid are still marked open or overdue call the company and keep talking to them until that is fixed. If you have high credit card balances paying these down will also help a lot.

Another thing you can do is offer some form of collateral and apply for a secured loan, instead. In this case if you fail to make payments the company will repossess the item you offered as collateral. This greatly lowers the risk the lender is taking, and you are rewarded with lower interest rates, and an easier time finding approval. Of course, this increases the risk you are taking as well.

Other than doing any of the things stated above, the best thing you can do for your unsecured high risk loan application is play up your strong points. Do you have a steady income? Have you been with your current employer for several years? Do you have a budget plan that shows your expenses, and how you'll be able to easily afford your monthly payments? These are all things the lenders will be interested in, and will help you. Also, if your credit issues are all around one particular event, like medical bills, divorce, etc, then have a short one or two sentence explanation prepared to tell the lender. You do not want to dwell on this, but companies do want to hear how you came to be in that problem in the past, and why it won't happen this time.

Once you get funding, remember to make your payments on time. This unsecured high risk loan may be your chance to build up a positive credit history so you'll have an easier time in the future.

5 Best Ways To Get Backlinks - Learn The Golden Link Rule

2010-07-23T19:58:00.003+05:30

One of the main ways Google used to define pagerank is by the number of backlinks to your website. But it's not all about quantity either. Quality has a lot to do with it as well. The other thing they look at is how many relevant backlinks you have. Even a PR3 one way backlink from a website in your niche is much more powerful than a PR3 website that is not related to your niche. But remember the Golden Link Rule, any link from any website has more value than no link.

Here are some of the best sources for One-Way Incoming Links.

1.) Article Directories - There are hundreds of them out there, but the Article Directories you should concern yourself with are the top 10 directories. Writing Articles is very important, and we make a full time living and it is 90% of our incoming link strategy. This is one technique you do not want to dismiss.

2.) Directory Submissions - Use a good Directory Submission Service just one time. This will cause hundreds of Unique IP's to point to your site.

3.) Create a Video - Create at least one Video to your website. It could be a screen capture video using some software like Camtasia, or a real video. Always include your URL at the bottom of the video. Most importantly, include the URL of your website in the front of your description before you submit your video. This way visitors can easily click through to your website. It will also show the search engines your site is important. Submit these to about 30 of the top video submission sites.

4.) Press Releases - Write up a Press Release and use your primary keyword in your Anchor Text. This will create another entirely new set of IP Addresses to link back to you. We've used PR Web for our retail stores. Every time we've submitted a Press Release we've made back what we spent in direct sales, which made the Press Release free.

5.) Post On Relevant Blogs - Participate in the comments section on relevant blogs related to your Niche. Do a Google Search on "your niche" + Blogs. You'll find lots of them popup. These days many more webmasters love to receive comments that are well thought out and unique. Try to make them at least 4 sentences.

The other rule when it comes to backlinks is to make sure you get them from a variety of different sources. Don't get them all from one place. This makes Google think your website is very important, and this is what you're striving for. Just about any business will benefit greatly from these strategies. But don't forget your on-site SEO as well. Make sure your website is optimized for the keywords you want to rank for.

There are many other techniques we know of to get more backlinks to your website. Just let us know if you want us to discuss these with you for free.

How To Obtain Lower Motor Insurance If You Are A Male Driver

2010-07-23T19:36:00.003+05:30

It is quite common knowledge that men are more expensive to insure than their female counterparts. A young male under the age of 25 will be the most expensive person to insure. But why is this? The fact of the matter is that men are statistically more responsible for motor vehicle accidents than women. In addition to this, they are also accountable for more traffic violations, including driving whilst under the influence. Driving whilst under the influence leads to the most amount of collisions on the roads, and this is a very serious offence.

So why are the males of the human species such poor drivers? This can be attributed to their testosterone. Men are more likely to be influenced by aggression than women drivers; this is especially the case with a less mature male under the age of 25. Road rage is common among males, as well as them being prone to attacks of ego which influence them to race other drivers or disobey road rules. It is also a more common statistic that most motor accidents on the roads are caused by male drivers. The age factor could have something to do with it too. Regardless of gender, any drivers under the age of 25 will have to pay a higher premium due to their lack of solid driving history. Because they have not had as much experience driving on the roads, young drivers are deemed as being higher risk. This, coupled with being of the male gender, can attribute to a very high insurance premium. So if you are a male driver under the age of 25, what can you do to lower your auto insurance premium?

The first thing you should take into consideration is the motor vehicle you are driving. Give an under 25 male driver a sports car or something that is notorious for going fast, then you are simply asking for an exorbitant car insurance premium! There are also motor vehicles that are more infamous for being stolen. These cars will have a higher premium due to their high theft risk. This is why the first thing you can do to save money on your premium is to purchase a car that is not expensive to insure. Find out which vehicles are listed by insurance companies as being involved in accidents more commonly or are popular theft targets. Then you need to steer clear of these motor vehicles. Luxury vehicles will also be more expensive to insure.

The next thing you can do to lower your insurance premium is to ensure that you have the best security system installed in your motor vehicle. This means a loud alarm, a gear lock, an immobilizer and even a car tracking system. The more efficient and high tech your security system, the lower your car insurance premium will be!

Lastly, you have to make sure you are the best driver possible. This means passing your license test and then not having any accidents if you can avoid them. Drive carefully at all times, always observing the road rules. Any tickets on your name can send your premium skyrocketing!

Longevity gene may also boost memory

2010-07-22T21:17:00.001+05:30

Conceptual image of brain cells - neurons

A gene linked to increased life span also appears to play a critical role in boosting memory and brain power, according to a study.

The SIRT1 gene, called Sirtuin1 in humans, seems to enhance memory and nerve-cell development in the brain as well, according to the new findings, published in the journal Nature .

The work could provide leads for drugs to combat Alzheimer's and other debilitating neurological diseases, the researchers said.

A team led by Professor Li-Huei Tsai, director of the neurobiology program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, had earlier demonstrated that Sirtuin1 boosts neuron survival in mice genetically modified to mimic certain degenerative brain disorders.

"We have now found that SIRT1 activity also promotes memory and plasticity," says Tsai, referring to the ability of healthy brain cells to interconnect.

"This result demonstrates a multi-faceted role of SIRT1 in the brain, further highlighting its potential as a target for the treatment of conditions with impaired cognition."

Reduced density

In experiments, Tsai examined behaviour and brain development in mice deficient in the SIRT1 gene.

Compared to normal mice, they reacted poorly to electrical stimulation in the hippocampus, which is critical to long-term memory and spatial navigation. In Alzheimer's, the hippocampus is one of the first regions in the brain to be damaged.

The gene-altered lab mice also had reduced density of neuron development, a key measure of brain activity.

Finally, they were less able to discriminate old from new objects in memory tests.

"SIRT1 deficient mice are impaired in all three memory paradigms compared to control mice," says Tsai.

The study also unveiled a previously unknown mechanism: by keeping certain gene regulators called mircoRNAs in check, the SIRT1 gene allows the memory-enhancing proteins to be expressed.

Turbocharging

Tsai cautions that the results are preliminary, adding that it was still too early to design clinical trials with humans.

But the study does open up the intriguing possibility that Sirtuin1 enzymes could one day be used to turbocharge memory and brain function even in healthy people, she acknowledges.

"Activation of sirtuins can be mildly beneficial in humans," she says.

Recent research suggests that the gene and the enzymes it produces are part of a feedback system that enhances cell survival during times of stress, especially a lack of food.

10 Most Awesome Floors Ever Created

2010-07-22T20:50:00.001+05:30

Most flooring is pretty unimaginative and boring. However, the following is a selection of cool floors which aim to keep you staring at the ground; just make sure you don’t bump into anyone. Enjoy, and please let us know which one is you favorite.

1. Copper Coin Floor

Do you have money burning a hole in your pocket? Then you may want to consider creating your floor out of change. However, in reality, creating this floor really wouldn’t cost as much as you would think. It is constructed from nothing more than pennies. If you live in New York City or are visiting anytime soon, check out the Standard Hotel’s penny floor. If you are looking for a novel home remodeling project, this one is definitely a possibility.

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2. Sears Glass Floor (Look Out Below)

While there may be tall buildings popping up all over the world these days, few still have the presence of the Sears Tower in Chicago. One of the reasons that this great Chicago skyline landmark has remained a popular destination is thanks to its glass floor. There aren’t too many places around the world where one can get a glimpse of a major world city from one hundred floors up while looking down!

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3. Salami Floor

This is a floor that may leave you asking, “What exactly is going on in Belgium anyway?” Belgian artist Wim Delvoye has taken to making floors out of salami that resembles marble. This interesting concept seems like something out of one of Homer Simpson’s best dreams. Just be careful not to chip a tooth attempting to gnaw on this floor.

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4. Optical Illusion Floor

Your eyes are not playing tricks on you. This crafty floor has been designed to create a very effective 3D look. Optical illusions are great fun as they challenge our brains in ways that we usually don’t experience. Even in an age of electronic wonders, an optical illusion can still grab our attention. One of the best ways to enjoy an optical illusion of this kind is to get up as high as possible. Yet, optical illusions such as this one will be fun at any angle. Just don’t stare at it too long, or you might start to become a little dizzy.

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5. Finsbury Avenue Square

Lights in the floor at Finsbury Avenue Square serve to create a very futuristic and almost otherworldly look to the environment. This is one floor that most definitely comes into its own at night. For those looking for an offbeat place to hang out for a bit, this floor is a sure winner.

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6. Concrete Floor

When you hear “concrete floor,” you might think that sounds like a recipe for a pretty boring floor. However, this concrete floor was made thanks to a San Francisco based company called Transparent House. With a design like this one, your guests will be completely captivated by the unexpected.

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7. Jig-Saw Floor

If you are puzzled over what type of flooring you should put in your home or maybe just a specific room, then you might want to take a quick look at this innovative and creative puzzle floor concept from Prowood Flooring. This puzzle floor definitely adds a level of whimsy and fun to any room. It is a great fit for a kid’s playroom or even a home theater.

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8. Colored Parquet Flooring

Maybe you are one of those people that just can’t decide on a color when selecting wall coloring, carpet colors and floor colors. If this describes you, then you might just be in luck with this colored parquet flooring. If you have a room or area in your home that needs a lot of color, good luck finding a more color rich offering than this wall-to-wall colored parquet flooring. The rich shades of green, red and blue found in this flooring makes for a great conversation piece.

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9. Pressure Sensitive Floor

Pressure sensitive flooring might seem impossible, but this flooring does indeed change color when it is walked upon or touched. This, of course, means that kids of all ages and sizes will love it and find it interesting to play with, even on a daily basis. Just one word of caution; this may not be the best floor to walk on when drunk.

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10. Elevator With No Floor

What!?! An elevator without a floor? No doubt an elevator without a floor is pretty much a death sentence by any standard. However, this unusual floor is actually just artwork designed to get a reaction. In terms of being a conversation starter, well, this elevator without a floor should be quite successful in sparking more than one conversation. It will also probably lead to a lot of bad jokes about “going down” as well.

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World’s Greatest Homeless Sign Ever!

2010-07-19T05:34:00.001+05:30

There is no question in my mind that this is the greatest and most creative homeless sign I’ve ever seen. I would give this “man” ever single last dollar that I have in my wallet. I wish I knew where he was located so that I could send him a few sawbucks…if only I could see him.

…it makes me almost as curious as this.

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The 3rd man in history to ever walk on water!

The 1st one was Jesus Christ... The 2nd one was Peter (the apostle)...

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Then there was this guy....... Jose;-)

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Reduced density

Turbocharging

The 1st one was Jesus Christ...
The 2nd one was Peter (the apostle)...