How many episodes in the final series of Entourage?

Entourage: Vincent Chase

Season 8 was the final season of the Entourage series and it was aired in 2011.

There are 8 episodes in the series with the first entitled “Home Sweet Home” going to air on July 24, 2011.

The finale [Episode 8] entitled simply, “The End” was aired on September 11, 2011 and was watched by 2.61 million viewers.

What is Entourage?

Created by HBO, Entourage is an American comedy-drama about a NewYork born actor Vincent Chase (played by Adrian Grenier) and follows his experiences as he struggles with the trials and tribulations of the Hollywood film industry, as he is helped, or more often impeded, by his ‘entourage’ comprising his agent, friends and family.

The first episode of the entire series was shown on July 18, 2004

The series totalled 96 shows in all.

What is the largest Word font?

It’s a bizarre question I know, because who really wants to know this and why?!

But the answer is…

The biggest font size you can get in a word document is 1638 points.

You can test this out. Try typing in 1900…

Just to get an idea of what 1638 looks like in a word doc I reduced the view to 25% to get the whole page on screen and typed in a lower case i in an Arial font.

As you can see, you just about get the dot on the top of the i along with a tiny part of the main body of the letter.

So there you go. That’s pretty big and from what I see, pretty useless, but it’s good to know eh?

I’ve been on Twitter for a while now but for the longest time I was stumped by why people put a ‘hash’ sign, or ‘number’ sign before words on posted on Twitter.

This symbol # when used on Twitter is know as the ‘hashtag’.

It’s a way of tracking a conversation about a particular topic of interest. You’ll often see it in the ‘trending topics’ list in the sidebar at Twitter.com

Hastags or # tags in use on Twitter

Using this character in front of key words helps other people who are interested in the things you are to find you.

if you want to see the hashtag at work you can either go directly to twitter http://twitter.com/#!/search-home and type # immediately followed by the word or phrase you want to search (no spaces), for example #socialmedia #ladygaga #blogging #quote

Or you could go to http://www.hashtags.org/ and view a selection of popular tags.

These #symbols, sometimes also known as the ‘pound sign’ has also been used for comedic effect particularly by many of the social bloggers to convey sarcasm or irony.

Increasingly TV shows and advertisers are creating their own tags for branding and publicity purposes.

There’s also a growing trend for the #tag to be used in other social media platforms such as facebook and some twitter die-hards have been known to use them in text messages.

Where did the hashtag come from?

Hashtags were popularized during the San Diego forest fires in 2007 when Nate Ritter used the hashtag “#sandiegofire” to identify his updates related to the disaster. Via

How to hashtag on Twitter

There are no firm rules, it’s an evolving practice, but it’s generally felt they should be used sparingly and only to add real meaning and value.

Remember to keep the tag as one word with no spaces or it won’t work. You could use underscores to join the words if you wish but it’s not the usual convention.

I’ve lead a sheltered life so I’ve only ever encountered FTW on Twitter and in text messages and assumed it to mean WTF (What the F**k) backwards to emphasize some additional confusion mixed with exasperation.

It turns out the letters FTW actually stand for For The Win.

It seems the expression originated on a TV game show called Hollywood Squares in which the host would precede the winning question with “For the win…”

Here’s a clip in which the host John Davidson uses the expression (in the last minute of the video):

FTW – For The Win – Is used as an excited exclamation – although sometimes used in a sarcastic way.

Search YouTube for FTW and you’ll find lots of  ‘how to’ videos.

What else could it mean? Another commonly accepted meaning:

F**k The World – When used in anger. How rude!!

Photo Of a Slightly Younger Nigella Lawson Looking Beautiful

Nigella Lawson is 52 Years Old

When was Nigella born?

6th January 1960

Which makes her 52 years old.

(And I’ll update this post on 6th Jan 2012 to keep it accurate)

You wouldn’t believe it to look at her but she is indeed in her 50s, and she looks great.

Let’s just hope she doesn’t have to bake her own birthday cakes!

English Muffin

The Gorgeous Domestic Goddess

I think this tune is fantastic.

The live version is better (in my humble opinion) but I just love the way it builds.

James | Laid

Live Version

The energy of the live performance just drags you in.

Lyrics:

This bed is on fire
With passion and love
The neighbours complain about the noises above
But she only comes when she’s on top

My therapist said not to see you no more
She said you’re like a disease without any cure
She said I’m so obsessed that I’m becoming a bore, oh no
Ah, you think you’re so pretty

Caught your hand inside the till
Slammed your fingers in the drawer
Fought with kitchen knives and skewers
Dressed me up in womens clothes
Messed around with gender roles
Dye my eyes and call me pretty

Moved out of the house, so you moved next door
I locked you out, you cut a hole in the wall
I found you sleeping next to me, I thought I was alone
You’re driving me crazy, when are you coming home

Note: Alternative Lyrics

The lyrics differ in each of these two videos.
In the studio music video:
The 2nd line is: With passionate love

The 10th line is: Slammed your fingers in the door

There is another ‘family friendly’ version of the song with the line – She only sings when she’s on top

Do you have an escape plan in the event of fire in the home?

I’ve got a young family and all four of my children being 10 or under, so as you might imagine safety in the home is important to me.

A few nights ago the battery in the smoke alarm failed and I didn’t have a replacement so we ended up spending the night without an alarm upstairs. I didn’t sleep well!

All too often I read or hear about house fires where some family members survive and others perish in the blaze. It’s heart wrenching to imagine what the survivors go through.

It’s important to give this some thought ahead of time and make a fire escape plan for you and for the kids, so that you can all get out alive and uninjured.

Following my sleepless night I exchanged emails with Sally who was kind enough to offer the following fire safety tips:

Fire Safety In the Home

No one wants to think about what they would do if their home caught on fire. However, it’s important to have an escape plan in the case of a fire. Here are eight things that you and your family can do to be prepared.

1. Name Responsibilities – Make sure each family member knows exactly what he/she would do in case of a fire. Siblings that sleep in the same room could be in charge of waking each other up, while parents could be responsible for calling the fire department. Take into account family members who need help, such as the very young or those with disabilities. Plan to work together as a team to ensure everyone’s safety.

2. Make an Escape Route – Identify two ways to escape from every room in the home. For houses with multiple stories, you may want to consider purchasing fire escape ladders and make sure all family members know how to use them.

3. Discuss Safety Issues – Make sure all family members know how to keep themselves safe in a fire. Some tips include staying low to the ground to avoid breathing in smoke, feeling a closed door before opening it to check for heat, and staying out of the house after escape. You should also discuss what to do in case both exits are blocked: stuff towels under doors, signal for help with a flashlight or bright cloth, and call the fire department if there is a telephone in the room.

4. Choose Two Meeting Places – An important part of a fire escape route is having two meeting places. One should be right outside the home, along with another further away in case it is not safe to be near the home. The second location could be at a known landmark or in front of a home in your neighborhood that isn’t right next to yours.

5. Designate an Emergency Contact – After calling the fire department, you should also call someone close to you to let them know what happened. Let this person know in advance that they are your emergency contact.

6. Plan for the Worst – In the case that your home is extremely damaged or destroyed, you should plan for where you would go until you could find a new home. This may be with a family member or close friend, a hotel, or even an evacuation shelter if there is no other option. If you have a pet, you should make sure your temporary living conditions are pet friendly or get the contact information for the closest animal shelter.

7. Check Smoke Detectors/Fire Extinguishers – Make sure that all smoke detectors and fire extinguishers are in working order. Smoke detectors should be installed on every floor and checked monthly. Fire extinguishers should also be checked periodically and family members should know how to use them properly.

8. Practice – You should practice evacuating your home at least twice a year. You may want to practice at different times of the day or night and in different weather conditions, as well as trying different escape routes from the house.

This guest article was submitted by Sally Davison. She owns the site Fire Science Degree. Sally is an experienced EMT and loves to write various articles about fire safety.

Image courtesy of Ada Be

My blogging career has taken me full circle.

A little over 3 years ago I started my first site called Teach My Children Well.

At that point I recognised that my life hadn’t gone quite the way I’d planned and I knew I needed to make some changes. The premise was that I would make the necessary changes, be a good role model and set a good example for my children.

It was a great site and became popular quickly, thanks in the most part to the support of other people.

Sadly I encountered all sorts of difficulties with it on the technical front. At one point a database error caused me to lose all of the comments. I tried to fix it but the learning curve was so steep that I couldn’t keep up with my primary role of managing the home.

I abandoned that project and moved on to other things.

Since then I’ve tried my hand at a lot of other endeavours based around the internet and I’ve learnt a hell of a lot.

Actually, I consider the last three years to be an apprenticeship during which I learnt my trade. I suppose you could also liken it to doing a university degree or studying for professional qualifications. The point is, I’ve come out the other side far better for the experience.

It’s kind of odd, but for the longest time I considered myself a stay at home dad, but it turns out that I was in fact a work at home dad.

The work, whilst not earning me an income, was definitely work and hard work too.

It was like working two jobs, neither of which paid.

So it’s back to square one. I’m going back to do what I started three yeaars ago, except this time it’s on a site called Hubby’s Home - A survival guide for work at home parents.

It’s about helping parents who work from home, in whatever capacity, to cope with daily life and still find time to build their business or do their work.

I’m going right back to basics with the intention of providing a comprehensive resource. I’m aiming at people who are finding this information for the very first time – the people who are struggling like I was 3 years ago.

I think it’s going to be awesome and hope you like it.

Here’s the thing, if you’ve got great big feet it doesn’t make you a bad person, it just makes you a bad person to find ski boots for.

The best bit of advice when you want to buy ski boots is you need to start searching early and I mean early… long before you need them.

If you’ve got ‘normal’ sized feet you can try on a couple of different pairs and the natural variations in designs should see you find a pair that fit.

If however you’ve got big feet (either long or wide) and need a wide fitting the regular range for the average population could have you wincing in pain.

The size of your feet is not the whole problem either. If you have any slight deformities of the foot or maybe corns or calluses, you could be in for a world of pain if you don’t get a comfortable fitting ski boot.

The linings (or inner boot) can be moulded to your feet which helps to alleviate some of the problems but if the toe box volume isn’t sufficient the effect of the liner is minimal.

If you have a high arch or instep you’re probably going to be looking for a high volume shell (outer casing) to accommodate an insert to support your feet.

Calf size is also something that most people NEVER think of. I don’t mean to be rude but if you’ve got chunky calves you may also find it difficult to find comfortable boots.

The Cuff, the part of the boot that goes around your upper ankle and calf will be almost infinitely adjustable, but standard off the shelf boots may not have sufficient room for a very big calf.

Get it right or pay the price

Face it. You’re going to be on the slopes for hours so it’s important you get this element your ski equipment absolutely right or your aching feet will make you thoroughly miserable.

Besides, ill-fitting boots will:

• Impede your performance and you won’t ski nearly as well
• Lead to injury because you’re over compensating for the discomfort
• Cause skin irritation and bruising
• Turn you from skier to observer when you can no longer stand the pain

Slightly off-piste

Okay… Just for fun… at least I think it’s fun and not too mean (as it’s basically very much in the public domain, so I hope none of these ladies will be offended).

10 Famous People who might benefit from this advice (as if they ever needed to worry about this stuff anyway because they would surely have a custom fitting from a professional?):

Jackie O – Size 12.5 US    10.5 UK    45 Eur  (I know! But she had really big feet!)
Michelle Obama – Size 11
Brigitte Nielsen – Size 11
Venus Williams – Size 11
Tyra Banks – Size 11
Uma Thurman – Size 11
Paris Hilton – Size 11
Meg Ryan – Size 11
Oprah Winfrey – Size 10.5 US     8.5 UK     42.5 Eur
Katie Holmes – Size 10 US     8 UK    42 Eur

BTW Finding a list of females was EASY but finding a list of famous big footed men was not so easy. If you know of any, let me know.

Back on the mountain

 Other considerations:

• Stay away from the sales. Let’s be honest Ski Boots are expensive so however tempting it might be for you to cram your wide feet into a cheap pair of boots, don’t do it—it’s a false economy—even at half price!.

• Lots of ski boots are unisex, but of course they are also made specifically for men, women and children. I mention this because I’m told that the cuffs on women’s boots are often wider to cater for bigger (I didn’t want to say fatter) calves. This might be worth bearing in mind for any men who are struggling to find a wide enough cuff on a man’s boot.

• If you’re serious about your skiing and you have the finances to do it you might be much better off having your boots custom made. It’s more expensive but you’ll get a better boot for sure.

• When you go for a fitting remember:

• Wear loose fitting leg wear so that you can roll it up past your knee

• Take your ski socks with you… the ones you’ll be wearing on the slopes

• And it can help if you take your skis with you (assuming you own your own)

Wide Fitting Ski Boot Recommendations

Here are some boots to use as a starting point for your search:

• Salomon x series (x-10)
• Salomon pro guns
• Tecnica Diablo
• Tecnica Vento
• Tecnica Modo
• Tecnica Vento HVL
• Tecnica Men’s Phoenix 70 Comfortfit HVL
• Dalbello Aerro 75 Ski Boots
• Atomic B Tech 100 Ski Boots

Where price is an issue one of the cheapest options might be Roxa Cruise Ski boot

Would you add any other boot to the list?

There are a ton of ‘x ways to feel alive’ posts but most of them are boring. To liven it up I’ve come up with 10 mad alternatives, most of which you won’t have the courage to do. Except maybe number 3, but only because you’re already doing that, right?

To feel alive sometimes you have to let go of your fears and do things that you wouldn’t normally do. It works because it feels so different to the every day experience. But don’t do these things too often or they lose their magic.

Feel good about life by changing things up a little.

Get ready to feel the rush of adrenalin.

1. Grab a stinging nettle

Don’t just touch it. Grab it in your hand and roll it about. The stinging sensation abates after a while and you’ll be left with the warm irritation for a long time afterwards. Photo CC

2. Take a cold bath

Forget cold showers. Cold showers are for softies. Take an ice bath. It will take your breath away and you’ll feel amazing (and very very cold!).

3. Lose the underwear

It can be very liberating to go without your undies. Feeling the breeze around your undercarriage, just as nature intended, can be pretty enlivening. Just keep your hands where we can see them!

4. Run as fast as you can for as long as you can

Don’t deliberately go for a run. Try to spontaneously break into a run like you’re being chased by an insurance salesman on commission. When your lungs are bursting and you’re bent double struggling to take in air, you won’t care about anything but breathing. The essence of life, no?

5. Sing loud. Then sing louder

Pick a big song and go all out on it. This is best done alone so that you feel free to really let rip. It doesn’t matter that you’re tone deaf and tuneless because no one can hear (probably).

6. Wink at a stranger

People who wink are idiots, and knowing that, you’ll feel self-conscious doing it. Whether you’re rewarded with a smile or a disapproving frown, it doesn’t matter, both results should do the trick. Photo CC

7. Take a whiz in the woods

Be careful with this or you’ll end up in jail, but if you’ve never peed outdoors you haven’t lived.

8. Get slapped

Best you do it by consent rather than provoke a violent encounter. A slap in the chops has a way of focussing your attention on the here and now. Being hit sets in motion certain survival mechanisms and you should feel a rush.

9. Get a buzz cut

Every man should get a buzz cut at least once in their life even if you’ve got a horribly misshapen head like I have. Should women do this? Probably not. You won’t feel alive, you’ll just feel a sense of enormous grief.

10. Jump off the high board

Don’t dive. Jump. If you dive you’re liable do yourself a mischief.

The high board doesn’t look that high when you’re on the ground, but trust me, when you’re up there it’s plenty high. The free fall only lasts for 2 seconds but seems to last more like 10.

You feel out of control as you fly through the air and slightly anxious as you drop deep into the water, wondering if your descent will ever stop and experiencing mild panic as you scramble back to the surface. Photo CC

I’ve done all of them but the last one is my favourite. It’s something I’ve done only twice before which is why it retains its appeal.

What extraordinary things do you do to feel alive?