Sillyhabit

Driving Tips - Improving safety

2011-10-27T13:16:00.000-07:00

Ways to improve your driving

CorneringSkidding can occur when a motorist approaches a corner without due care for safety.
   1. Do not apply the brake when you are negotiating a corner, especially when you are travelling at a reasonably high speed.
   2. It is advisable to keep to the left while cornering to avoid head on collision with an on coming vehicle which may have veered across to your side of the road while cornering.
   3. Take the following safety measures:
          * Position you vehicle correctly on the approach side.
          * Slow down to an appropriate speed before cornering.
          * Use correct gear.
          * Maintain constant speed while negotiating the curve.
   4. In the event you notice sand or an oil patch on the bend, do not apply brakes; hold your steering wheel firmly and proceed calmly by maintaining your speed.

Making Right Turn

1. Maintain lane discipline. Look out for road signs or road markings on the road.

2. Signal your intention early. Get into the right lane well in advance before turning.
3. Mirrors should be checked before changing lanes.
4. You have to turn your head and look over your shoulder to the right to check for traffic in "blind spot".
5. Before you reach a junction, enter the correct lane for whichever direction you wish to take.
6. Always engage a low gear before turning.
7. Position your vehicle correctly on the appropriate lane.
8. At the junction, slow down and stop when necessary.
9. Always check for vehicles before turning. Look first to your right, then to the left and right again. Give way to traffic on the major road. At the same time, look around for pedestrians crossing the road. Turn only when it is safe to do so.
10. After making a turn on the road with no obstructions ahead, you should speed up immediately and move back to left lane again.

Making a U-Turn

1. There must be a U-Turn sign before you can make a U-turn.
2. Signal your intentions early, mirrors should be checked before changing lanes.
3. You have to turn your head and look over your shoulders to the right to check for traffic in "blind spot".
4. Enter the correct lane for whichever direction you wish to take.
5. Slow down before approaching the U-Turn. Engage the correct gear.
6. Position your vehicle correctly.
7. Look out for vehicles before turning.
8. If the divider is wide, turn into the innermost lane. If the divider is narrow, turn into the middle lane.

Parallel Parking

1. Signal your intention, stop vehicle about 0.8meter from the curb.
2. Ensure safety on the right, front and rear.

Vertical Parking

1. Signal your intention, stop vehicle about 1.7meter from the curb.
2. Ensure safety on the right, front and rear.

Mirrors and Signals

1. Mirrors and signals should be checked before moving off, slowing down, stopping, changing lane, overtaking and making any turn. Watch out for other drivers signals and act on them promptly.

Blind Spots

1. The areas on the right and left of your vehicle which cannot be viewed in mirrors are known as the "blind spots".
2. You have to turn your head and look over your shoulder to the left or right to check for traffic in the "blind spots" before changing lane, overtaking, turning, stopping and moving off.
3. Never drive in someone else's blind spot. Always keep your eyes moving and don't fix on one

The Rallycross Fan Photo 2011 search

2011-10-26T04:28:00.000-07:00

The Rallycross Fan Photo 2011 search
Here is your chance to show your own pictures on RallycrossWorld.com. Our new ‘Over the fence’ feature will run within the ‘Photo stars’ section, but is not open to anyone who is accredited or signed-on to work trackside – we want to see the best of the pictures taken from the spectator areas and your view of what goes on in the paddock and areas around the track. You can send pictures from all 2011 European and/or national Rallycross events and may submit a maximum of twelve photos from each event you attend, but we may publish fewer. Please send your pics as JPG files in 3×2 format only, but not smaller than 800 x 550 pix @ 72dpi and without any watermarks or copyright credits on the image. And currently no vertical format pics please! Each published picture will be credited in usual style [© yourname/RallycrossWorld.com] so make sure you tell us your real name! For the caption we need the name of the leading driver shown, make and model of the car as well as the date and venue of the event. At the end of the year we will assemble a judging panel to select the three best pictures of 2011 for which we will have some great prizes on offer [we’re still working on the details…]. Please note: If the pictures received do not follow the above mentioned requirements they cannot be published. By sending your pictures you fully agree that RallycrossWorld.com can use the image without limit on our website as well as for the Rallycross World magazine, without payment of any fees and that you will, if requested, supply higher resolution copies if we want to feature selected pictures in our magazine. By submitting or having images published, you may not claim to be a contributor to RallycrossWorld.com or Rallycross World magazine. Click here to send your pics: Over the fence

To pitch a perfect game, teach yourself online

2011-10-20T10:37:00.001-07:00

My major league pitching career was anything but perfect. The closest I ever came was a seven-inning outing against Milwaukee while playing for the Cincinnati Reds, in which I gave up only four runs and earned the victory. In baseball, you can be successful without coming close to perfect. Just think about batting average: a .400 average is insanely good, but that means you strike out or get out in some other way more than half the time you're at bat. Hall of Fame pitchers give up an average of more than two runs per game. Seldom does a pitcher throw a shutout. A perfect game—in which a pitcher does not allow a single player on base—is incredibly rare.

In the majors, setting your team up to win involves daily physical workouts, hours of practice and in-depth analysis of the opposing teams’ traits and tendencies. The idea that someone without this training and background could instead go online, gather and process the necessary information and use it to throw a perfect game is unfathomable. Yet that’s exactly what happened to Brian Kingrey.

Brian is a high school music teacher from Hammond, La. and not much of a sports fan. As one of his students put it, “I’ve never heard him say the word baseball.” But Brian is a gamer—so naturally, he was intrigued by the $1 million prize he saw in a TV commercial for a new baseball video game called MLB 2K11. He knew nothing about baseball, had never even played the real game in his life, but encouraged by his wife, he went out, bought the game and started playing. A few weeks later, Brian won the $1 million prize for pitching the first perfect game in MLB 2K11. And he learned how to do it entirely online.

“I had to figure out what baseball was, not just what a perfect game was,” Brian said. He found that everything he needed to know was online: he was able to search about batters, batting averages, the different kinds of pitches. He combined the information to figure out that he had the best odds in a match-up between the Phillies -- with star pitcher Roy Halladay on the mound -- and the Houston Astros. He also researched the weak spots of each player—for instance, the toughest batter Halladay would face was going to be Astro’s infielder Bill Hall. After that, Brian was ready to play.

And play he did. On his third try, Brian pitched the perfect game and became a millionaire. “Once I got past Bill Hall, I knew I had it,” he said. “Without online search, I would’ve been in deep trouble. If I had played like it was in my head, I would’ve done it all wrong.” Perhaps if I’d known that search was the answer when I was playing in the major leagues, I might have come a little closer to perfection more often.

Running Facts

2011-10-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

Running Facts
Here are lots of little running tid bits that you may help....
I'm always saying little steps, little steps..now here is another reason why shortening your stride is better
When runners shorten their stride during a 5km run, the impact from their footfalls is lowered which means that they drop their risk of bone damage by 33%
Compression garments do work
Sprinters have reported 43% less soreness during a 24 hours of recovery from a sprint workout, than their counterparts who didn't wear the compression garments
* Runners who wear the knee high compression socks ran 6.1% faster on a treadmill than runners wearing normal socks
Running does make your bones stronger
The bone mineral content in the Tibia (lower leg bone, shin) of a male sprinter is 15.2% higher (meaning stronger) than a sedentary male
Short interval Training does work
Sprinting for 8 seconds and jogging for 12 seconds over 20mins, burns up to 5 times more fat than 40 mins of jogging at the one speed..see my whistle doesn't seem so bad now does it???
Running Backwards can Prevent Injury!!
After being amazed by the backwards running marathon guy at Gold Coast this year, I have since found out that backwards running is good for you and can prevent injury. It develops more balanced, stronger, leg muscles..however I don't think that counts when you crash into somone or something because you cannot see where you are going!
Taller runners are less efficient than Short runners
even if the taller runners weight is the same as the shorter runner they will still find it harder as taller people have longer, heavier bones and it costs more energy to lug those bones around, hence the reason some of the best endurance runners in the world are pip squeaks!
Running too much can make you sick
research shows that runners who log more than 80kms a week can double their risk of illness, especially upper respiratory illness. However, running a moderate 30-50km a week boosts your immune system and will keep you well.
Running is more effective than diet and some medications at reducing your blood pressure
Running for 45mins to an hour can decrease both systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings by 10-12mgs.However if your blood pressure is already in the healthy range, it should not measure a change.
It's your mum not your dad who determines if you will be a good endurance runner
*Approx 30% of your cardio fitness ability can be traced to genetic disposition but, not from dad, it comes from the egg, not the sperm!!

Anyone Run? Check Out The UNDERCOVER x Nike GYAKUSOU 2011 Fall/Holiday Collection

2011-10-20T10:16:00.001-07:00

Anyone Run? Check Out The UNDERCOVER x Nike GYAKUSOU 2011 Fall/Holiday Collection

Jun Takahashi with his running team, Tokyo’s Gyakusou International Running Association

Nike Sportswear obviously does quite well with it’s own design team, turning out well-styled athletic apparel, that sets industry standards. But by leveraging the acumen of Jun Takahashi, NSW has been able to make huge leaps forward in combining technicality, utility, and design. The Jun Takahashi-designed Gyakusou collection for Nike Sportswear landed with a huge impact in Fall 2010, and followed up with an equally impressive Spring 2011 collection.

Takahashi is best known for Undercover, the seminal Japanese label he founded in the early 1990’s. He was a key figure in that golden era of the uru-hara hipster set, and Undercover retains the cult status that the label quickly earned. In years since, Undercover has gone on to flirt with the couture world, which has embraced Takahashi’s elaborate, unique, and frequently edgy creations.

NSW has allowed Takahashi to fuse his own love of running with his skill for subtle design and aesthetic details. The Gyakusou collection, named for Tokyo’s Gyakusou International Running Association, evokes a reverse engineering theme, explored through a variety of inside-out construction approaches - the result is a slightly whimsical sense of technicality.

While unapologetically technical, the line maintains a tasteful aesthetic by relying on a restrained color palette - though throughout the collection, Takahashi capitalizes on Nike’s latest technologies - making wide use of laser-sealed seams and Dri-FIT fabrics in apparel, and Lunarlon soles and Flywire technology in footwear. Gyakusou represents some of the finest examples anywhere of design, fashion, and technology combined; comparisons to other heavyweights of the niche - Errolson Hugh’s work for ACRNM, for example - are not unwarranted. Takahashi has taken purpose-built technical athletic pieces and imbued them with next-generation style – with no sense of feature-overload, and without creating Blade Runner costumes.Via http://www.tresbienshop.net/brand/nike-undercover/about/

Check out the video below to see the gear in action.

AMD FX-8150 Bulldozer CPU Review

2011-10-20T10:08:00.000-07:00

AMD FX-8150 Bulldozer CPU Review

The days when AMD processors ruled the performance roost are long gone, and most enthusiasts have forgotten they ever existed. But less than a decade ago, the Athlon X2 dual-core processor thoroughly spanked Intel's first crude dual-core efforts, which were simply two separate processor dies on one chip, communicating through the front-side bus, as opposed to AMD's much more advanced true dual-core CPUs. But AMD's been playing catch-up since then, and has been forced to compete on price rather than performance in desktop processors. Now Benchmark Reviews tests the high end of the new Bulldozer desktop CPU line, the multiplier-unlocked 8-core FX-8150 CPU.

Enthusiasts have been slow to adopt multi-core CPUs beyond dual cores. Few software used them (especially games), and while extra cores could help a system running multiple applications, only a few individual applications could really leverage the extra power provided by multiple cores. But multi-core processor penetration in the market is increasing: while the largest percentage of users in the Steam hardware survey use only dual-core processors (47.6% as of August, 2011), four-core CPUs are close behind at 43.5%.

Beyond four cores, the numbers drop off dramatically. Only 1.45% are using six-core processors, and 0.07% have 8 cores (and most of these are probably dual four-core processors). So the FX-8150 has an open market...

I've been a fan of AMD processors for some time, unbothered by their performance deficit relative to Intel since we've long since passed the point where almost any processor is more than fast enough for anything most people would want to do, and AMD simply offered better bang for the buck. But AMD's got a tougher challenge this time in Intel's new Sandy Bridge processors, not to mention the upcoming Sandy Bridge E series and Ivy Bridge. AMD already cedes the high end to Intel when they say the FX-8150 is designed to compete against the Core i7 2500K CPU rather than the top-end 2600K, but even that will be a strong competitor: it's even less expensive, at $219.99 at Newegg compared to the FX-8150's MSRP of $245.00.

Manufacturer: Advanced Micro Devices
Product Name: Desktop Processor
Model Number: FX-8150
Price As Tested: $245.00 MSRP

Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by AMD.

ATI Radeon HD 5670 Review

2011-10-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

ATI Radeon HD 5670 Review

While we usually try to bring you timely and breaking facts from the two main discrete GPU makers, Nvidia and ATI, as of late it's not been up to us to bring balance to the coverage that goes to each company. Out of our last seven graphics card reviews, only one was about a new GeForce GPU, and a terrible one at that.

Towards the end of last year, Nvidia launched a new graphics card, the GeForce GT 240. This forgettable product was supposed to sit between the GT 220 and 9800 GT in terms of both price and performance. However, much like the GeForce GT 220 that was released a bit prior, the GT 240 was a huge disappointment. For about $100, we saw no real reason why anyone would pick up this card other than to possibly use it as a dedicated PhysX card.

The older generation GeForce 9600 and 9800 GT offered better value at its respective price points, but perhaps most importantly, the Radeon HD 4770 destroyed the GT 240, for a mere extra $10. Then for $40 more, the DirectX 11-enabledRadeon HD 5750 offers very playable performance in most games, even at 1920x1200. While it could be argued that power consumption levels are better on the GT 240 compared to the 9800 GT, Radeon HD 4770, or 5750, they are not in relative terms due to its inferior overall performance.

But it's a new year and we know Fermi, Nvidia's next-generation GPU is coming pretty soon. Yet we quickly learned at CES that Nvidia doesn't plan to offer any new budget or even mainstream graphics products based on the new architecture, leaving a huge gap for ATI to make the most of it. Not one to rest on its laurels, AMD has gone ahead and released a new $100 graphics card.

The Radeon HD 5670 is based on the same Evergreen GPU that makes up the HD 5800 cards, albeit seriously cut down to reach the $100 price point. The new card has a memory bandwidth of 64GB/s, versus 128GB/s on the Radeon HD 5850, and its core configuration has been halved compared to the mainstream HD 5770. The feature set remains intact, however, so you have DirectX 11 support, Eyefinity, HDMI audio bitstreaming, and of course low power consumption.

Although the Radeon HD 5670 is supposed to bring DirectX 11 functionality to gamers on a budget, we are not getting too excited about this. The latest rendering technologies need a greater deal of horsepower to be fully utilized, and unless a game's visual settings are maxed out with a reasonable level of anti-aliasing enabled, DirectX 11 is not going to turn many heads.

On paper, it looks like AMD is aiming for the GeForce GT 240, and we can't help but feel worried that they have not set their goals for the Radeon HD 5670 higher. But that's not to say we won't give it a fair go, so let's move on to check it out in more detail.

Top 5 Budget Graphics Cards

2011-10-20T10:00:00.001-07:00

Product

Editors' Rating

Specs

Editors' Take

Price

Nvidia GeForce GTS 450

9.0

GeForce GTS 450 GPU; 783MHz core clock; 1GB GDDR5; PCI Express x16 interface; DirectX 11

This $129 DirectX 11 graphics card provides plenty of horsepower for gaming on 22-inch and smaller monitors, as well as the full feature set of Nvidia’s pricier cards.

$129 (list)

ATI Radeon HD 5770

8.8

ATI Radeon HD 5750 GPU; 750MHz core clock; 1GB GDDR5; PCI Express x16 interface; two dual-link DVI, one DisplayPort
port

The low-cost Radeon HD 5750 is a good choice for those on a budget who game on smaller monitors, but who still want DirectX 11 support for future games.

$159 (mfr. est.)

ATI Radeon HD 5750

8.8

ATI Radeon HD 5750 GPU; 700MHz core clock; 1GB GDDR5; PCI Express x16 interface; two DVI, one DisplayPort, one HDMI port; DirectX 11

The low-cost Radeon HD 5750 is a good choice for those on a budget who game on smaller monitors, but who still want DirectX 11 support for future games.

$129 (mfr. est.)

ATI Radeon HD 5670

8.5

ATI Radeon HD 5670; 775MHz; 512MB DDR5; PCI Express x16; HDMI, DVI, DisplayPort; DirectX 11

The HD 5670 brings faster performance and triple-monitor support to $100 video cards. But if you’re excited about DirectX 11, consider a pricier, more powerful card.

$99 (mfr. est.)

Sapphire Radeon HD 5670 (1GB)

8.4

ATI Radeon HD 5670 GPU; 775MHz Core Clock; 1GB DDR5; PCI Express x16 interface; HDMI; DVI; DisplayPort; DirectX 11

The extra 512MB of DDR5 RAM on this Sapphire version of the Radeon HD 5670 may boost performance in future games, but in most of our tests, it ran just slightly ahead of the less-costly model.

$120 (mfr. est.)

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H70

2011-10-20T09:57:00.000-07:00

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H70 Overview

by Greg Scoblete and Stephanie Boozer
Review Posted: 05/19/2011

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H70 digital camera is a pocket camera with a 10x zoom starting at 25mm and reaching out to 250mm, a great choice as an everywhere camera, or a vacation camera. With a 16.1-megapixel sensor, a Bionz-branded image processor, the Sony H70 should offer good speed and image quality when needed. The Sony H70's lens carries the same Sony G branding as the company's digital SLR lenses, an indication of its confidence in the lens' optical performance.

The Sony H70 has a two step aperture, which varies from f/3.5 to f/5.5 across the zoom range. At wide-angle the alternate aperture is f/8.0, and the lens also includes a built-in neutral density filter. To help combat blur from camera shake, the Sony DSC-H70's lens includes an optical stabilization mechanism that works in concert with a built-in gyro sensor to detect and correct for camera motion. As with certain of Sony's other recent Cyber-shot cameras, the stabilization function works with up to 10x increased power in Movie mode, taking advantage of the more forgiving lower resolution of the movies as compared to still images.

The Sony H70 uses a 3-inch Clear Photo LCD display with a resolution of 230,000 dots, roughly equating to a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels with separate red, green, and blue dots per pixel. A nine-point autofocus system includes face detection capability, and can recognize up to eight faces in a scene. The face detection function can be disabled if desired, and can also be programmed to give priority to either adult or child faces. The AF system can also operate in either center-weighted or spot AF modes, and includes an AF assist illuminator.

As well as still images, the Sony H70 can capture either high-definition 720p (1,280 x 720 pixel) or standard definition VGA (640 x 480 pixel) video at a frame rate of 29.97 frames per second. Movies are saved with MP4 compression, and include monaural audio. The Cyber-shot DSC-H70 also includes a sweep panorama function, which can automatically capture multiple shots by simply sweeping the camera across the scene, and then stitch these in-camera into a single image with an increased field of view. A Self Portrait Timer mode allows the photographer to get in the picture before the shutter is automatically triggered, and a Smile Shutter function ensures everybody is smiling before the shutter fires.

The Sony H70 stores images on Secure Digital, SDHC or the latest SDXC types. The Sony H70 is also compatible with Sony's own proprietary Memory Stick PRO Duo cards. Power comes from a Sony InfoLithium NP-BG1 rechargeable battery. Connectivity options include both USB data, as well as standard definition composite and high definition component video outputs.

The product bundle includes Sony's Picture Motion Browser v5.3 and Picture Motion Browser Portable applications. Pricing for the Sony DSC-H70 is around US$230, and the camera is available in black, silver, blue, or red versions beginning March 2011.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H70 User Report

by Greg Scoblete

If there's been any upside to the Great Recession we're only now (we're told) dusting ourselves off from, it's that it helped drive prices down on everything from dental floss to digital cameras. Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-H70 is clear evidence of this trend, packing a range of features into a very budget-friendly package. At a suggested retail price of $229, the Sony H70 delivers a 16-megapixel sensor, a 10x wide-angle zoom lens (25 to 250mm, 35mm equivalent), 3-inch LCD display and 720p HD movie recording. Throw in some manual control, several "Intelligent" scene modes and a compact design and you're looking at quite a capable digital camera in the Sony H70.

But there's a lot of competition for your camera dollar in this price range, including many cameras that can bundle big lenses into little bodies. Let's see how the Sony Cyber-shot H70 stacks up.

Look and Feel: The Cyber-shot H70 is comfortable to hold, with a rounded, ergonomic rest running down the left side. There's also a gently indented rest for your thumb to the right of the Sony H70's 3-inch LCD display. This little home for your thumb makes it easier to grip the camera one-handed, but it forces the camera's controls to cluster down at the bottom of the camera, and those controls are fairly small.

Beneath the thumb rest on the back of the camera you'll find a Playback button, a four-way controller for accessing the Display, Smile Shutter, Flash and Self-timer. Beneath these are buttons for the Menu and the In-camera Guide/Trash. These controls are not only small in diameter, but pretty flush with the Sony H70's body. Often they'll need a determined press to activate.

On the top of the camera you'll find an on/off button (also very flush with the camera but more responsive) a shutter button/zoom lever and a mode dial.

At 4 x 2 3/8 x 1 3/16 inches and weighing in at 6.8 ounces with memory card and battery, the Cyber-shot H70 is definitely pocketable and portable.

Aesthetically, the Sony H70 isn't much to look at. It's rather bland in black, but you'll also have a choice of more dynamic red, blue, or silver with a black lens barrel -- at least if you're shopping online.

Lens: The Cyber-shot H70 offers a 10x, wide-angle zoom lens (25-250mm, 35mm equivalent) with an aperture of f/3.5 - f/8.0 at the wide end, adjustable in two steps. It's a Sony G Lens composed of 10 elements in seven groups with four aspheric elements.

Wide and Tele. Got the time? With a 10x zoom you should be able to pull it in.

It's definitely nice to get this kind of optical zoom in camera just a smidge over an inch thick. It's doubly nice when it's a wide-angle lens, which is really useful for getting the scene in tight quarters. Sony also throws in what they dub their "Smart Zoom" technology, which delivers 12x when you're shooting at 10 megapixels. Unfortunately, the zoom is apparently not smart enough to automatically down-res your photo as you push past the 10x mark, so resolution must already be set to 10 megapixels before using Smart Zoom, which takes away some of the feature's utility. You can zoom still further if you lower the resolution more: at 5 megapixels you'll get 17x total, at 2 megapixels you'll get 24x (when shooting at a 16:9 aspect ratio). If you were inclined to take a VGA resolution photo, the Smart Zoom would propel you all the way out to 72x.

There's also a Precision Zoom function, which brings you out to 20x by cropping out a portion of the image and interpolating it back up to full resolution, though image quality deteriorates. As you zoom out past 10x, the LCD will display a box to help you frame the portion of the photo that will appear magnified. Unlike Smart Zoom, Precision Zoom will kick on while shooting at full resolution.

Sony's H70 also uses a nine-point autofocus system with face detection capable of recognizing up to eight faces in a scene.

Controls: The Sony DSC-H70 offers a mode dial atop the camera to access the camera's Scene Modes, iAuto, Program Auto, Manual Mode, Sweep Panorama Mode and finally, Movie Mode. There was room on the dial for additional functions, but Sony opted to keep it to this simple lineup.

When shooting in Manual Mode, you can control the aperture and/or shutter speed by hitting the button at the center of the four-way controller and then toggling left to right (for aperture) or up and down (for shutter speed). Pretty straightforward stuff. It's not every day you find these kinds of controls on a sub $250 camera, and they're nice to have, even if aperture is limited to just the lowest available (f/3.5-5.5) and the highest (f/8-13). What's a bit curious is that while you have the ability to adjust both shutter and aperture in Manual, there are no Shutter or Aperture Priority Modes. Those modes would have been useful as well, though the lack of a full range of apertures is probably why.

As mentioned above, the external buttons are on the smallish side, so you may need to use the edge of your thumbnail for them. But on the whole, they're responsive.

Advanced mode. It takes a little longer, but in tough lighting, Advanced mode can save the day... just like this little guy.

Modes: There's a fair amount to do on the Sony H70, enough to satisfy your average point-and-shooter with a little dollop of creative freedom thrown in, and the Manual Mode to slake the thirst of more advanced users. For starters, you have a selection of 12 Scene Modes -- the usual stuff: Portrait, Advanced Sports Shooting, High Sensitivity, Beach, Fireworks, etc. It's not as extensive a selection of scene modes as we've come to expect from a compact point-and-shoot, but it covers the important bases.

If you simply want a point-and-shoot experience, the Sony H70 is equipped with the company's iAuto or Intelligent Auto mode, which optimizes your exposure based on shooting conditions. Intelligent Auto Mode is also joined by an Intelligent Scene Recognition mode (set in the menu while in iAuto).

When you're shooting in Advanced Mode, the camera will snap two photos (one with the flash, one without) whenever it encounters scenes with low light or excessive backlighting. What's nice is that the camera will alert you when it's about to take two shots and will then display the images side-by-side briefly on the display. It takes a few seconds for the Sony H70 to process both images, so shooting in Advanced Intelligent Scene Recognition Mode can slow you down a bit, but it's a useful feature when used in challenging settings.

If you want a super-streamlined interface, you can set the Sony H70 to Easy Mode, which enlarges the text and icons and limits the number of settings you can access in the camera. I've never quite understood the appeal of Easy Modes (why make your camera less functional?) but your mileage may vary. You might want to use it as a mode to use when handing the camera to the kids or a complete novice.

Face Finding: The Cyber-shot H70 contains Sony's usual contingent of face-focusing technologies. Face detection can identify up to eight faces in a scene and you can set the camera to Child or Adult Priority to optimize focus on children or adults. There's also Blink Detection, which can be turned on or off to alert you when a subject is blinking.

Finally, there's Smile Shutter, which gets prominent placement on the camera's four-way controller and pauses the moment of image capture until a single person in a frame is smiling. You can adjust the sensitivity of the Smile Shutter in the menu so that the H70 can snap a photo at the merest hint of a smile or until your subject's chicklets are beaming. Smile Shutter is a neat trick but I find it has very limited utility outside of impressing people around you with what your camera can do (yes I do that, don't you?).

Sweep Panorama: Sweep Panorama is one of Sony's big bragging points, and for good reason: they've finally figured out how to make panoramic shooting on a point and shoot camera simple and the results are almost always impressive. Simply set the camera to Sweep Panorama using the Mode dial and a guide will appear at the bottom of the display pointing you in the direction in which you pan the camera. Then gently pan the camera in that direction and the camera assembles the panorama for you. Gone are the days of trying to align faint overlays of your previous image in the display - with Sweep Panorama the process is seamless. You can set the direction of your sweep, either horizontally or vertically and/or left to right and vice-versa, in the menu.

You can go super wide with ease using Sweep Panorama.

There are some tricks to shooting in Sweep Panorama, however. For one, it's best for static photographs. If any objects are moving in your frame, they're going to appear chopped up into many pieces or truncated depending on which direction they're moving as you pan.

HD optional. Out of the box, the Sony H70 only provides connection to Standard Definition TVs. You need to buy this $40 cable to connect to an HD Component-compatible TV.

HD Movie Mode: The Sony H70 boasts high definition video recording at 1,280 x 720 at 30 frames per second in the computer-friendly MPEG-4 format. Audio is recorded via a mono microphone (not surprising, given the price). There is an optional HD Output Adaptor cable as well, available for $40, which enables you to view your high def home movies on your HDTV or HD monitor. It's an RGB Component cable, so your HDTV will need to support this five-cord cable (RGB+LR).

You can use the camera's zoom while recording with a sensor-cropped focal length of 30 to 300mm. While it's nice to have access to the zoom while recording, the camera's microphone picks up the sound of the zoom motor, producing a distracting, high-pitched buzz every time you zoom. Not nice.

HD movie. 1280x720 at 30 fps. Click to download 11.8MB MP4 file.

The video quality at 720p isn't particularly impressive either. The video clips I recorded were frequently on the noisy side, especially indoors. I found the focus was rather soft too, although the lens did a nice job keeping things relatively in focus as you zoom.

Sony provides a small amount of control over your videos: you knock back the resolution to VGA quality, adjust exposure, white balance, and choose from center or multi metering mode. You can also select from Standard or Active image stabilization, depending on your conditions. While it's not the most extensive movie menu set you can find in a compact digicam, given the price it's nothing to sneeze at.

DRO: Another useful mode is Sony's Dynamic Range Optimizer (DRO), which helps to bring out details that would otherwise be obscured by shadow. You can adjust DRO settings in Program Mode with a choice of Standard -- which recovers some detail in shadowed areas -- and Plus, which claims to recover said detail without losing the highlights. In practice, it didn't appear that DRO Standard washed out too many highlights, but it definitely wasn't as effective as DRO Plus at pulling all the details from the shadows. However, DRO Plus did tend to wash out some of the colors in the frame.


Taken in auto, you'll notice the bricks on the shadowed side of the monument are fairly obscure.	This shot, snapped in DRO Standard, brings out some of the detail in the shadowed bricks.	In DRO Plus you see far more details in the shadows but notice the grass and shrubs are slightly faded. The deep blue sky, however, remains relatively untouched.

Menu: The on-screen menu on the DSC-H70 is quite intuitive: it's easy to quickly find what you need, set it, and jump back into shooting. Hit the Menu button on the back of the camera and the Sony H70 will bring up a series of functions on the left of the LCD display, which expand out into the LCD as you highlight them. Each function is helpfully described for you by brief explanatory text on the display.

Once you dive into the camera's settings, the menu gets a bit more simplistic and less graphical (as you'd expect). You can pop out of the menu anytime by pressing the shutter.

One nice touch in the Sony H70 is the In-Camera Guide. It's accessible through a dedicated button on the back of the camera or in the menu. The guide not only explains almost all of the core functions of the camera, it also gives you easy access to the functions you were just learning about so you can make changes to the camera settings immediately.

The Guide is divided into six sections: Shoot/Playback Guide, Icon Guide, Troubleshooting, Objective Guide, Keyword and History. Shoot/playback explains the various modes in the camera while the icon guide explains what each icon on the H70's display means. In the 'objective guide' you can learn what specific functions do and there is some overlap here with the Shoot/Playback portion of the menu. In Keyword, you can search the Guide by select keywords (obviously) and in "History" you can view all the various guide pages you have already used in the event you need more information. All in all, quite a nice feature to have on board the camera, especially since the documentation provided isn't great, and is fragmented into multiple manuals and formats (PDF and HTML).

Shooting: The Sony Cyber-shot H70 makes for a pretty easy travel companion, given its trim size and light weight.

On the performance side, the Sony H70 is a bit of a mixed bag. It springs to life fast enough but when the flash is on, you'll notice some lag between shots. Burst mode isn't much help at all, it's a sluggish one frame per second at full resolution for just three images. The camera is many things, but it's definitely not a speed demon. That said, both iAuto and the Advanced Sports Shooting Mode did a nice job freezing fast-moving subjects.

Action. Advanced Sports Shooting Mode froze these flags flapping furiously in the frigid wind.

There's no viewfinder on the Sony H70 but framing your shots with the camera's 3-inch display was no problem, even in very bright sunlight. The display's viewing angle is generous, although vertical angles are less forgiving than horizontal ones. You can adjust the display's brightness in the menu to compensate for glare or to conserve battery life.

The controls, while small, don't present much of an obstacle to quickly finding the setting you need. The exception is the mode dial -- it's not only small but it's often hard to wheel around into your desired position. Plus, the symbols for Sweep Panorama and Movie Mode look awfully similar, especially when you're holding the camera at arm's length. On more than one occasion I popped into Sweep when I meant to enter Movie. (Obviously, after a few days you'll remember what's where.)

Run away! It doesn't look it, but these kids captured in iAuto were rocking back-and-forth vigorously trying to escape the Yeti - not pictured.

As noted above, the Sony H70 is a 16-megapixel point-and-shoot. That's a fair amount of pixels sandwiched onto a 1/2.3" CCD image sensor that is 7.7mm in size. The obvious downside of packing so many pixels is digital noise, which reared its head quite frequently in Movie mode and crept into a few low-light and indoor iAuto snapshots as well.

There is an upside, though, to a high-resolution camera, which is the ability to crop the sensor for digital zoom purposes and still retain a printable image. The Sony H70's Smart and Precision zooms are a good example of this, giving you close-up beyond what the optical zoom can deliver. When you exceed the limits of the optical zoom, the camera will display a guide box on the LCD to help frame the crop. While shooting, the image looked very unsteady in the box and I was pretty sure the resulting snapshot would be a blurred mess. To my pleasant surprise, that turned out not to be the case: the photos were crisp and blur-free.

As mentioned above, the Cyber-shot H70 has a Manual Mode but no Aperture or Shutter Priority Modes, kind of a strange omission. Another oddity is that while the camera offers Macro focusing, there's no way to actually set the camera to Macro Mode. The Sony H70 will do so automatically -- in Program and Intelligent Auto Modes -- which is nice, but somehow incomplete.

Playback: The playback capabilities on the Sony H70 are rather modest, as far as it goes. You can playback your images in a slideshow with or without some pre-loaded music. If you opt for music you'll have a choice of four five-minute songs, none are particularly good so you may want to load your own, which you can do using the included software. You can also select various transition styles for your slideshow: simple, nostalgic, stylish or active. When set to simple you can also choose the interval at which images slide past.

If you just want to scroll through capture images and videos you can view them by folder or the date they were captured. There are basic editing functions included in the Playback menu that include resizing, red-eye removal and the ability to apply an unsharp mask effect to a photo (the camera usefully saves this edited version, preserving the original).

Storage & Battery: The Cyber-shot H70 has a two-in-one memory card slot for accepting Memory Stick Duo and PRO Duo cards or SD memory cards, including SDHC and SDXC varieties. There's no internal memory to speak of (you only can get about three full resolution stills out of the camera's 27MB of on board memory) so a card is a must.

The Sony H70 uses a rechargeable lithium-ion battery (NP-BG1) which is held in place with a tiny latch that you need to press to pop the battery. The latch is small enough that it was often awkward to get the battery out. It also feels a bit flimsy. Battery life is rated at only 145 shots per charge according to the CIPA standard, which is below average.

Both the battery and memory card are housed securely in a latched compartment at the bottom of the camera, which springs open and shut with nary an issue. The plug for the multi-connector cable is adjacent to the battery compartment -- so the door must be closed if you wish to use the connector cable.
$195.49

Epic Trick Shot Battle

2011-10-15T08:08:00.000-07:00

Three Days by CHAIR

2011-10-14T14:34:00.001-07:00

A New Mural From Alicè in Vitry (Paris)

2011-10-14T14:33:00.000-07:00

Victoria's Secret Models of 2011

2011-10-14T14:21:00.000-07:00

1. Adriana Lima
There is no way of denying that Adriana is without a doubt one the sexiest, most beautiful and gorgeous Victoria's Secret models. Because of her stunning eyes and the fact that she's been a huge inspiration to millions of girls all over the world and always supporting being fit and healthy, she's got to be my number one.

2. Candice Swanepeoel
Candice has gone from a not very well known VS model to a huge sensation this year. She's got one of the sexiest and most unique bodies and she's also got one of the sweetest personalities which makes her a runner up for my first place in this category.

3. Miranda Kerr
Miranda was never really my favourite, until this year. She is a good role model for all the girls and women out there as she's proved that working hard, taking care of your family and following a healthy lifestyle will get you far. On top of that she's obviously a very beautiful woman with a great body which can rock a runway.

4. Doutzen Kroes
Doutzen is a very sophisticated woman and has also like Miranda proved that to be happy and successful you've got to have your priorities in place. Plus, her abs are amazing and she represents the less popular athletic bodies in this industry.

5. Emanuela De Paula
This girl is so beautiful and her body is perfect! She's very versitale as I find her face always looks different.

6. Marloes Horst
Marloes is finally getting more attention this year and I'm so glad for that. She only poses for Victoria's Secret PINK collections but man is she beautiful.

7.Erin Heatherton
I wish I could put Erin higher up because she's been working really hard this year, but lately I am not sure that she represents being healthy which is extremely important to me. However there's no denying that she's got an amazing, toned body and I love her next door girl look.

8.Gracie Carvalho
Gracie is a very underrated Victoria's Secret model in my opinion, she's got an amazing figure and her face is just breathtaking! Wish to see more of her soon.

9. Alessandra Ambrosio
This woman has an impossibly slim body and her brazilian roots give her that sexyness everyone seems to get addicted to.

10.Maryna Linchuck
Maryna has a very unique face and curves.. definitely another underrated VS model.

Drawing on sand

2011-10-14T14:02:00.000-07:00

ART! Ukraine's got tallent, an amazing arter drawing her imaginations on sand...

Beatbox, dubstep, breakbit, drum and bass

2011-10-14T11:59:00.000-07:00

The first 2 minuter of this will leave you without words and when you think thats all....

How to get free fast food

2011-10-14T04:57:00.000-07:00

Acualy there are many ways to get free meal from Mc'donalts or any simular fast food shops. But i must remind you that each of this ways can maybe not work. So...
1. First you will pass somebody in front of you with his car to order than you are gonna follow him, then you gonna pas the first window and say that you forgot your money(or somthing simular) and that you dont order anything, than you will stop at the second window and hope that the guy behiand you will order somthing, than you just wait to give his order and then just go away.

2. You will stop on the first window than say that you have been 20 mins ago and that you forgot somthing from your, order than just tell them what you have "forgoten". And than take the meal and go away.

Important!!
-Any of this trics may gone wron so do this on your own risk!
-There is a chance that they will call a police!
-The worsest think that can happen is to die:P

How to make your own Deadmau5 !

2011-10-13T04:44:00.000-07:00

Love Deadmau5? Enjoy house music? Want to go to raves in style? Deadmau5's iconic Mau5head would surely turn some heads. I decided to go with the original red Mau5head, but you can choose any color your heart desires.

Things you'll need:
- 13" hamster ball
- A yard of red felt
- Hardhat
- White silk (make sure you can see through it)
- 6 sheets of stick on red felt
- 2 12" 3mm BIRCH BALTIC wood plates (NOT BALSA)
- Hard styrofoam ball
- Steel mesh
- Dremel rotary tool with cutting wheel
- Safety glasses
- Hot Glue Gun with sticks
- Spray on Tacky glue
- Regular Tacky glue
- Duct Tape
- Masking Tape
- Sandpaper
- Cutting Board
- Hobby knife
- fabric scissors
- Philips screwdriver
- Paper
- Dark colored sharpie
- Compass

Step 2Mapping everything out

Take out one of the panels of the ball so it won't roll away from you (don't throw away the panel, you'll need it later). Take two sheets of paper and sketch out a the shape of the mouth. take your styrofoam ball and slice it in half. Take your two plates of birch baltic wood and slide them in two the holes of the ball. tape everything with masking tape and predict how everything will turn out. The top of mouth should be at the equator of the ball and it should be spread side to side.

Step 3Eyes and ears part 1

Take your compass and make 12" circles on your birch baltic wood. Take your Dremel and cut out them out. Sand the edges to avoid splinters. These will be your ears. Now take your stick on felt and start applying it on the ears. Take your hobby knife and cut off the excess felt. An ear uses up 3 sheets of felt. Make sure you cut on a cutting board so you don't ruin any surfaces. Now take a piece of sandpaper and start concaving the insides of eyes until it sits flush on the surface of the ball. Do this process outside because it gets really messy.

Step 4Cutting the ball

Use your screw driver to disassemble the ball. Trace the paper mouth on to the plastic. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it should give you the general idea. Now use masking tape to trace the drawn line. The masking tape will ensure you a straight line. Put on you safety glasses and use the Dremel to make the hole for your head bigger (make sure you don't cut too much or you'll cut into the part that holds the bottom of the mouth). Once your head will fit through the hole, begin cutting out the mouth. Take your top half and widen the slots where you ears will go (the felt will make the birch baltic wood ears thicker). smooth out any rough spurs with sand paper. Once the mouth is cleanly cut, reinforce the other panel and mouth area with duct tape. When satisfied, reassemble the ball. Take the eyes and ears and check if everything fits perfect before moving on.

Step 5Wrapping the head in felt

Lightly sand your head so the glue can stick to the surface. Use your fabric scissors to cut large strips of felt that would cover large portions of the head without crinkling. Spray on some Tacky glue an stretch the fabric nice and tight. Cut the excess felt leaving an inch of extra felt. Make cuts in the excess felt. start folding and gluing the felt inside your head. Make slits on the sides for the ears to fit.

Step 6Mouth piece

Cut out a piece of silk and steel mesh. Make sure both are big enough to cover the inside of the mouth. Hot glue the silk to the steel mesh. Adjust the mesh until it fits perfectly. When the mesh properly fitted, hot glue it into place. Trim the excess silk inside the head.

Step 7Eyes and ears part 2

Place the ears inside the slots. From the Inside, hot glue the ears into place. Reinforce the ears with duct tape. Glue the eyes with regular Tacky glue into place. Apply a generous amount of glue.

Step 8Hardhat

Trim your hardhat as much as possible. try not to trim off the mounts that hold the head brace or else you're going to need a new hard hat. Once you have trim your hardhat, take the panel from the ball that you have not used. Trim the panel until you can trace the finger slots. trace the Shape of the finger slots with a sharpie and cut it out with your dremel. make sure the finger slots are in the top of the hardhat( there's a "dot" from the plastic molding right in the center of the hardhat and the panel, match those up, and you'll have it perfectly on top). Fit the hardhat in the head and apply lots of hot glue. To be safe, I put duct tape over it for a stronger bond.

Step 9Finished!

Now you're ready for raves and what not. Have fun and be safe!

OPTIONAL STEP:
You can choose to put in LEDs to light up the eyes. Simply drill small holes into the head where the eyes should be BEFORE gluing on the eyes. Run the wires between the hardhat and either mount the battery pack inside the head or have long wires and run it down your shirt. I personally like running down your shirt so you can turn the LEDs on and off from your pocket.

Avril Lavigne Goodbye Lullaby

2011-10-12T14:54:00.000-07:00

Goodbye Lullaby is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne. The album was first released on 2 March 2011 through RCA Records (Sony Music). Recording sessions began in November 2008, and took place over a period of almost two years, concluding in October 2010. The album's songs contain mainly stripped down instruments, such as the piano and acoustic guitar. Every song on the album was written by Lavigne, with half of the album being written with co-writers. So far the album has topped the charts in Japan, Australia, Germany, Greece, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Czech Republic and debuted inside the Top 5 in over 15 countries such as the United States and Canada. The lead single of the album, "What the Hell", was released on 7 January 2011 and reached the Top 20 in USA, the Top 10 in Europe and Australia and the Top 5 in Asia. The album also includes an extended version of the soundtrack single for the 2010 film Alice in Wonderland, titled "Alice".

How Much Sleep Do You Need?

2011-10-12T14:31:00.000-07:00

How many hours of sleep do you need?

Average Sleep Needs
Age	Hours
Newborns (0-2 months)	12 - 18
Infants (3 months to 1 year)	14 - 15
Toddlers (1 to 3 years)	12 - 14
Preschoolers (3 to 5 years)	11 - 13
School-aged children (5 to 12 years)	10 - 11
Teens and preteens (12 to 18 years)	8.5 - 10
Adults (18+)	7.5 - 9

According to the National Institutes of Health, the average adult sleeps less than 7 hours per night. In today’s fast-paced society, 6 or 7 hours of sleep may sound pretty good. In reality, it’s a recipe for chronic sleep deprivation.

While sleep requirements vary slightly from person to person, most healthy adults need between 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep per night to function at their best.Children and teens need even more (see box at right). And despite the notion that our sleep needs decrease with age, older people still need at least 7.5 to 8 hours of sleep. Since older adults often have trouble sleeping this long at night, daytime naps can help fill in the gap.

Love

2011-10-12T11:56:00.000-07:00

What is love? It is one of the most difficult questions for the mankind. Centuries have passed by, relationships have bloomed and so has love. But no one can give the proper definition of love. To some Love is friendship set on fire for others Maybe love is like luck. You have to go all the way to find it. No matter how you define it or feel it, love is the eternal truth in the history of mankind.

Love is patient, love is kind. It has no envy, nor it boasts itself and it is never proud. It rejoices over the evil and is the truth seeker. Love protects; preserves and hopes for the positive aspect of life. Always stand steadfast in love, not fall into it. It is like the dream of your matter of affection coming true. Love can occur between two or more individuals. It bonds them and connects them in a unified link of trust, intimacy and interdependence. It enhances the relationship and comforts the soul. Love should be experienced and not just felt. The depth of love can not be measured. Look at the relationship between a mother and a child. The mother loves the child unconditionally and it can not be measured at all. A different dimension can be attained between any relationships with the magic of love. Love can be created. You just need to focus on the goodness of the other person. If this can be done easily, then you can also love easily. And remember we all have some positive aspect in us, no matter how bad our deeds maybe. And as God said �Love all�

Depending on context, love can be of different varieties. Romantic love is a deep, intense and unending. It shared on a very intimate and interpersonal and sexual relationship. The term Platonic love, familial love and religious love are also matter of great affection. It is more of desire, preference and feelings. The meaning of love will change with each different relationship and depends more on its concept of depth, versatility, and complexity. But at times the very existence of love is questioned. Some say it is false and meaningless. It says that it never exist, because there has been many instances of hatred and brutality in relationships. The history of our world has witnessed many such events. There has been hatred between brothers, parents and children, sibling rivalry and spouses have failed each other. Friends have betrayed each other; the son has killed his parents for the throne, the count is endless. Even the modern generation is also facing with such dilemmas everyday. But �love� is not responsible for that. It is us, the people, who have forgotten the meaning of love and have undertaken such gruesome apathy.

In the past the study of philosophy and religion has done many speculations on the phenomenon of love. But love has always ruled, in music, poetry, paintings, sculptor and literature. Psychology has also done lot of dissection to the essence of love, just like what biology, anthropology and neuroscience has also done to it.

Psychology portrays love as a cognitive phenomenon with a social cause. It is said to have three components in the book of psychology: Intimacy, Commitment, and Passion. Also, in an ancient proverb love is defined as a high form of tolerance. And this view has been accepted and advocated by both philosophers and scholars. Love also includes compatibility. But it is more of journey to the unknown when the concept of compatibility comes into picture. Maybe the person whom we see in front of us, may be least compatible than the person who is miles away. We might talk to each other and portray that we love each other, but practically we do not end up into any relationship. Also in compatibility, the key is to think about the long term successful relationship, not a short journey. We need to understand each other and must always remember that no body is perfect.

Be together, share your joy and sorrow, understand each other, provide space to each other, but always be there for each others need. And surely love will blossom to strengthen your relationship with your matter of affection.

How the human Eye Works

2011-10-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

The human eye belongs to a general group of eyes found in nature called “camera-type eyes.” Instead of film, the human eye focuses light onto a light sensitive membrane called the retina.

Here’s how the human eye is put together and how it works:

The cornea is a transparent structure found in the very front of the eye that helps to focus incoming light. Behind the cornea is a colored ring-shaped membrane called the iris. The iris has an adjustable circular opening called the pupil, which can expand or contract depending on the amount of light entering the eye.

A clear fluid called the aqueous humor fills the space between the cornea and the iris.

Situated behind the pupil is a colorless, transparent structure called the crystalline lens. Ciliary muscles surround the lens. The muscles hold the lens in place but they also play an important role in vision.

When the muscles relax, they pull on and flatten the lens, allowing the eye to see objects that are far away. To see closer objects clearly, the ciliary muscle must contract in order to thicken the lens.

The interior chamber of the eyeball is filled with a jelly-like tissue called the vitreous humor. After passing through the lens, light must travel through this humor before striking the sensitive layer of cells called the retina.

The retina is the innermost of three tissue layers that make up the eye. The outermost layer, called the sclera, is what gives most of the eyeball its white color. The cornea is also a part of outer layer.

The middle layer between the retina and sclera is called the choroid. The choroid contains blood vessels that supply the retina with nutrients and oxygen and removes its waste products.

Embedded in the retina are millions of light sensitive cells, which come in two main varieties: rods and cones.

Rods are good for monochrome vision in poor light, while cones are used for color and for the detection of fine detail. Cones are packed into a part of the retina directly behind the retina called the fovea.

When light strikes either the rods or the cones of the retina, it's converted into an electric signal that is relayed to the brain via the optic nerve. The brain then translates the electrical signals into the images we see.

Biker fashion: men's elements

2011-10-12T02:23:00.000-07:00

What precedes has largely looked at the motorcycle fashion trend for women, which is the norm given that modern trends generally start for women before being modified to suit men’s tastes. The motorcycle trend, however, emerges into men’s wardrobes at the same time this year, albeit it to a much smaller degree.

Spearheaded by a number of design houses, including Burberry, the main element of the men’s version of trend are statement jackets – unlike women’s where we’ve also seen a number of additional pieces. The colour palette is much muted as well: it’s all black, a fact that makes the trend rather cliche for men but not so cliche that the only motorcycle jackets on trend are Brando jackets.

10 usefull ways to save money!

2011-10-12T02:22:00.004-07:00

1. Make a shopping list

Food shopping forms a significant part of our monthly outgoings and the supermarket is where the bulk of the money is spent. Tesco takes £1 in every £8 spent by UK shoppers. But be warned, stores spend a small fortune studying ways of making us part with more of our money than we would otherwise intend to. Have you ever wondered why your favourite song is playing in the background as you navigate the aisles? Have you even noticed the background music? Possibly not, but you will have noticed at the checkout that the bill is often more than expected. To circumvent this, simply make a shopping list. Dig out the cookery books, plan a few meals and only buy what you need.

Saving: £10 a week = £520 a year

2. When was the last time you went to the market?

One way to beat the supermarkets - that is, to eat healthily for less - is to use your local market stall. Lower overheads should mean lower prices. At the time of writing, cherries were on sale in Asda for £2.99 for 400g, the equivalent at the local market was going for just over £1.

Saving: £100+

3. Use your talent to earn extra cash

Let's face it, if you're not a pop star by the time you reach your 20s you're never going to be. But you may be able to use your talent as a guitarist to teach other wannabes the rudiments of the 12-bar blues.

Income: It's not unreasonable to charge £20 an hour

4. Shop around for the cheapest household insurance

Unless you drive - car insurance is mandatory - you don't need insurance. But it's strongly advisable. Can you afford to foot the bill if your house burns down? Probably not. Similarly, can you afford to pay over the odds for the same policy available elsewhere because you can't be bothered to shop around? Possibly, but it's not advisable. The internet has made finding cheaper insurance easy and you can compare hundreds of policies in minutes.

Saving: £100s

5. Learn to say 'no'

It's easy to capitulate to the demands of a screaming child in a packed Woolworths on a Saturday afternoon. But don't do it. Similarly, how often does a 'swift half' after work turn into a £40 drinking session? Saying 'no' a few times a year will do wonders for your bank account.

Saving: £100

6. Ask yourself: do I really need this?

Imagine the scenario. It's lunchtime and you've got an hour to kill. You find yourself in a department store and there's a sale on. You pick up a beautifully packaged selection of barbecue tools and associated garden paraphernalia. And it's half price. Now, stop! Ask yourself: Do I really need this? Exactly. Now, put it down and walk away.

Saving: £100

7. Walk/cycle to the station/work

It maybe a bit of hippie notion to many people but it's free.

Saving: £100

8. Take up a money-saving hobby

Hobbies not only open your mind to new experiences but they also take up your time - important if you would otherwise spend it in the pub drinking away your hard-earned money. If a painting takes 20 hours to complete, and you normally get through a pint an hour. That's a saving of a least 40 quid a picture. Think about it. Get painting. Go fishing.

9.Cook instead of ordering

Although this might be a little difficult for individuals or in a setup where the husband and wife both work, but it’s still a great way to save that hard-earned money that you spend on pizzas and Chinese each month just because you won’t get up to whip up something healthier instead.

10.Stick to a budget

This is essential for individuals as well as families. In order to figure out what’s the ideal amount you can spend, you need to keep track of your earnings as well. Unless you know what’s coming in, it’s difficult to determine what goes out. Another reason why this is a great idea is because this puts your monthly expenditure and savings in perspective and step one becomes much easier to take care of with the help of a budget.

Some interesting room designes for "Teenage Boys"

2011-10-12T02:22:00.002-07:00

Here are some interesting room designes for "Teenage Boys"

The color palette includes mostly black, blue and brown, but we found some pretty fresh boys’ interiors that have more vivid colors as well. Most of the rooms have a distinctive “teenage boy” element such as a punching bag, a miniature or a plane, a gaming device and so on. We particularly enjoy the themed rooms, such as the military interior. We hope you like it!

Top 10 most economical cars

2011-10-12T02:22:00.000-07:00

Top 10 most economical cars

Fuel economy is a hot topic but car makers are responding by making their cars ever-more efficient. It is now common to see new cars returning more than 80mpg: even mainstream family cars regularly average more than 65mpg. Buying a fuel-efficient new car is more important than ever before, with record fuel prices pushing up costs for motorists at the pumps. An added benefit of good fuel economy is low CO2 emissions, too - and as car taxation is based on CO2, reducing emissions here brings many benefits, including free road tax for cars emitting 100g/km CO2 or less. For an extra bonus, all 100g/km CO2 and below cars get company car tax benefits - and they can travel into the London congestion charge zone for free, too! So which ARE the most economical cars in Britain? MSN Cars is committed to bringing you details of the cars with the best fuel economy on sale in the UK. We have gathered all the free road tax diesel and petrol cars on sale in the UK here, to show you just how broad and far-reaching the low-emissions choice now is in the UK. Read on to discover the most economical new cars on sale.
1 Kia Rio 1.1 Ecodynamics - 85g/km

Kia

The roomy and practical Kia Rio five-door, five-seat supermini has finally unseated the two-seat Smart Fortwo for the title of UK's most economical car.
With 88.3mpg and 85g/km CO2, Kia says it is the most economical conventional-engine car on sale anywhere in the world. With all the space and comfort of all other Kia Rio, it is a true landmark car.
It's powered by a 1.1-litre three-cylinder turbodiesel engine, with direct-injection, and a variable-vane turbo. Low weight (despite being bigger than the outgoing model, it weighs the same) and a long list of fuel-saving aids also help its efficiency.

The economy aids include engine stop-start, low-rolling-resistance tyres, longer gearing, an extended tailgate spoiler and a closed-off radiator grille.

However the real key is the 1.1 litre's pulling power, a stout 125lb ft arriving at an early 1500rpm and persisting through to 2750rpm. In other words, there's useful muscle here.
New Kia Rio Ecodynamics cost from £11,895.
2 Smart Fortwo cdi - 86g/km

Smart

The second most economical new car on sale in Britain is the Smart Fortwo cdi diesel. It averages an impressive 85.6mpg.
It only seats two, and the clattery diesel engine is not the fastest or most refined on sale. It is still economical enough to only now have been unseated as the UK's most fuel-efficient car, though.
Statistics

How much? £8,000

On sale in the UK: February 2009

Engine: 0.8-litre 3cyl 6 valve, 45bhp, 81lb ft

Transmission: Five-speed automated manual, rear-wheel drive

Performance: 19.8sec 0-62mph, 84mph, 85.6mpg, 88g/km CO2

How heavy / made of? 770kg/steel

How big (length/width/height in mm)? 2695/1559/1542

3 Toyota Prius T3 - 89g/km

How much?	£8,000
On sale in the UK:	February 2009
Engine:	0.8-litre 3cyl 6 valve, 45bhp, 81lb ft
Transmission:	Five-speed automated manual, rear-wheel drive
Performance:	19.8sec 0-62mph, 84mph, 85.6mpg, 88g/km CO2
How heavy / made of?	770kg/steel
How big (length/width/height in mm)?	2695/1559/1542

Toyota

The world-famous Toyota Prius was the first mainstream eco car to gain cult appeal. It has now sold in its millions.
The greenest is the entry-level T3 trim. With its smaller, lower-drag wheels, it averages 72.4mpg and emits just 89g/km CO2.
Accelerate hard and the new 1.8-litre petrol engine kicks in, and in normal driving the electric motor assists the petrol unit rather than replaces it. It uses a CVT gearbox so revs are constant as you accelerate, as in the Honda. But the Toyota feels more grown-up. At the test track, it was faster than the Insight and insulated engine noise better. Ride comfort is much smoother, as the Prius deals with bumps better than its rival.

New Priuses cost from £20,695.
4 Toyota Auris Hybrid - 89g/km

Toyota

The Toyota Auris HSD is a British-built alternative to the Toyota Prius, although it shares the petrol-electric driveline.
It averages 74.3mpg, and is better than the Prius in town for economy, although the smoother Prius wins on a run. Which is best for you?
The reason for the terrific economy is, of course, the assistance given to the 1.8-litre petrol engine by the nickel metal hydride batteries hidden behind the rear seats.

New Auris Hybrids cost from £19,545.
5 Skoda Fabia Greenline - 89g/km

Skoda

Skoda's super-practical supermini averages 83.1mpg and emits 89g/km CO2, making it the greenest supermini on sale.
We rate the Fabia highly here at MSN Cars and would happily trade 2.5mpg over the Smart for five-seat flexibility.
Top speed: 107mph; 0-62mph: 12.6sec; Economy: 83.1mpg; Co2: 89g/km; Kerbweight: 1203kg; Engine type: 3cyl, 1199cc, turbodiesel; Power: 74bhp at 4200rpm; Torque: 133lb ft at 2000rpm; Gearbox: 5-spd manual

New Fabia Greenlines cost from £13,685.
6 Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion - 91g/km

Volkswagen

Volkswagen's mini-Golf Polo is offered in green-focused BlueMotion guise, using the same 1.2 TDI diesel engine as the Skoda.
It's not quite as eco, but 80.7mpg is still impressive, and 91g/km CO2 is among the lowest on sale.

Engine: 1199cc 12v, turbocharged triple, 74bhp, 144lb ft

Transmission: Five-speed manual, front-wheel drive

Performance: 12+secs 0-62mph, 85.6mpg, 87g/km CO2

How heavy / made of? 1080kg/steel

How big (length/width/height in mm)? 3970/1682/1462

New Polo BlueMotions cost from £14,860.
7 SEAT Ibiza Ecomotive - 92g/km

Engine:	1199cc 12v, turbocharged triple, 74bhp, 144lb ft
Transmission:	Five-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Performance:	12+secs 0-62mph, 85.6mpg, 87g/km CO2
How heavy / made of?	1080kg/steel
How big (length/width/height in mm)?	3970/1682/1462

SEAT

SEAT's VW Polo-based Ibiza returns the same 80.7mpg as the VW - the smallest of differences account for the extra 1g/km CO2.
The SEAT is, however, the cheaper car to buy new, making it the smarter green buy of the two.
Petrol engine options - 1.2-litre (70bhp); 1.2-litre (105bhp); 1.4-litre (85bhp); 1.6-litre (105bhp). Diesel engine options - 1.2-litre (75bhp); 1.6-litre (105bhp); 2.0-litre (143bhp). Transmission options: five-speed manual gearbox, six-speed manual gearbox, seven-speed twin clutch DSG gearbox. Trim levels: S, SE, Sport, FR, Ecomotive (S and SE)

New Ibiza Ecomotives cost from £13,900.

8 Lexus CT 200h - 94g/km

Lexus

The UK's first premium hatch hybrid, the Lexus CT 200h boasts fame from both the Kylie adverts AND average fuel economy of 69mpg.
It emits just 94g/km, from its Toyota Prius-derived petrol-electric drivetrain, and is very well equipped.

Engine: 1.8L/98-hp/105-lb-ft Atkinson cycle DOHC 16-valve I-4, plus 80-hp/153-lb-ft electric motor

Transmission: continuously variable auto

Curb weight 3100 lb (mfr)

Wheelbase 102.4 in

Length x width x height 170.1 x 69.5 x 56.7 in

New Lexus CT 200h models cost from £23,485.
9 Vauxhall Corsa 1.3 CDTi 95 Stop/Start - 94g/km

Engine:	1.8L/98-hp/105-lb-ft Atkinson cycle DOHC 16-valve I-4, plus 80-hp/153-lb-ft electric motor
Transmission:	continuously variable auto
Curb weight	3100 lb (mfr)
Wheelbase	102.4 in
Length x width x height	170.1 x 69.5 x 56.7 in

Vauxhall

The Vauxhall Corsa has been facelifted for 2011, with new looks and colours, plus some more economical diesel engines.
It can be fitted with stop-start which, on the punchy 95hp 1.3-litre diesel, provides 94g/km CO2 emissions and average fuel economy of 80.7mpg.

Engine: 4, 1248cc

Power, ps: 95@4000

Torque, lb ft: 140@1750-3250

Transmission: Manual

Driven Wheels: F

Top speed: 110.0 mph

0 - 62 mph: 12.3 seconds

New Vauxhall Corsa CDTis cost from £13,310.
10 Fiat 500 0.9 TwinAir - 95g/km

Fiat

The revolutionary two-cylinder turbocharged TwinAir petrol engine in the Fiat 500 is cutting-edge technology that is both powerful and fuel efficient.
Take it easy and it returns 68.9mpg: CO2 emissions are just 95g/km and it benefits from lower exhaust particulates than a comparable diesel engine.
Top speed: 108mph; 0-60mph: 11.0sec; Kerb weight: 1030kg; Engine: two cylinders, 875cc, turbo, petrol; Power: 84bhp at 5500rpm; Torque: 107lb ft at 1900rpm; Gearbox: 5-speed manual

New Fiat 500 TwinAirs cost from £10,865.

Engine:	4, 1248cc
Power, ps:	95@4000
Torque, lb ft:	140@1750-3250
Transmission:	Manual
Driven Wheels:	F

Sillyhabit

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Running Facts

Running Facts

Here are lots of little running tid bits that you may help....

I'm always saying little steps, little steps..now here is another reason why shortening your stride is better

*When runners shorten their stride during a 5km run, the impact from their footfalls is lowered which means that they drop their risk of bone damage by 33%

Compression garments do work

*Sprinters have reported 43% less soreness during a 24 hours of recovery from a sprint workout, than their counterparts who didn't wear the compression garments

* Runners who wear the knee high compression socks ran 6.1% faster on a treadmill than runners wearing normal socks

Running does make your bones stronger

*The bone mineral content in the Tibia (lower leg bone, shin) of a male sprinter is 15.2% higher (meaning stronger) than a sedentary male

Short interval Training does work

*Sprinting for 8 seconds and jogging for 12 seconds over 20mins, burns up to 5 times more fat than 40 mins of jogging at the one speed..see my whistle doesn't seem so bad now does it???

Running Backwards can Prevent Injury!!

Taller runners are less efficient than Short runners

*even if the taller runners weight is the same as the shorter runner they will still find it harder as taller people have longer, heavier bones and it costs more energy to lug those bones around, hence the reason some of the best endurance runners in the world are pip squeaks!

Running too much can make you sick

*research shows that runners who log more than 80kms a week can double their risk of illness, especially upper respiratory illness. However, running a moderate 30-50km a week boosts your immune system and will keep you well.

Running is more effective than diet and some medications at reducing your blood pressure

*Running for 45mins to an hour can decrease both systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings by 10-12mgs.However if your blood pressure is already in the healthy range, it should not measure a change.

It's your mum not your dad who determines if you will be a good endurance runner

*Approx 30% of your cardio fitness ability can be traced to genetic disposition but, not from dad, it comes from the egg, not the sperm!!

Anyone Run? Check Out The UNDERCOVER x Nike GYAKUSOU 2011 Fall/Holiday Collection

Anyone Run? Check Out The UNDERCOVER x Nike GYAKUSOU 2011 Fall/Holiday Collection

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Step 2Mapping everything out

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Step 4Cutting the ball

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Step 9Finished!

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10 usefull ways to save money!

1. Make a shopping list

2. When was the last time you went to the market?

3. Use your talent to earn extra cash

4. Shop around for the cheapest household insurance

5. Learn to say 'no'

6. Ask yourself: do I really need this?

7. Walk/cycle to the station/work

Saving: £100 8. Take up a money-saving hobby

9.Cook instead of ordering

10.Stick to a budget

Some interesting room designes for "Teenage Boys"

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Saving: £100

8. Take up a money-saving hobby