Use this free auto loan calculator to help you find answers to some of the very common questions almost all new and used car buyers ask. Here is how it works.

Step 1 - Enter a monthly payment value that you would feel comfortable paying.
Step 2 - Include the aproximate trade-in value of your current vehicle, if you have a trade-in, as well as how much you have available as a down payment.
Step 3 - Set the amount of time you’d like to take in re-paying your loan.
Step 4 - If you know the value of the other factors such as dealer rebate, sales taxes, finance charges and interest rates go ahead and include them on the free auto loan calculator too. If you don’t know those values just leave the default values intact. The free auto loan calculator will then display an aproximate value that your financial figures suggest you can purchase. Go ahead and give it a try.

What next? Talk to an expert! This free auto loan calculator is designed to give you some self help resources when navigating the car buying market but it is not intended to be considered actual financial advice. Shop and compare!

aLinks is a wordpress plugin that automaticaly links chosen keywords to appropriate destination uri’s accross the entire blog at once. The plugin is database driven and stores all of your desired links for use every time you type in your keywords which has proven very usefull, and profitable for affiliates, to thousands of wordpress users.

The wordpress admin panel slowdown and timeouts began occuring ironicaly at the same time as the plugin authors websites went offline. Both alinks.org and the developers site headzoo.com are offline as I write this which is causing the plugin to time out as it tries to contact those sites.

My question to the developer, if/when the sites resurface, is going to be “why does my plugin attempt to communicate with your site and can we change that please?”. Until then, unfortunately, the only solution is to disable the aLinks wordpress plugin altogether.

I hope this helps a few wordpress users before perfectly good wordpress instalations get ruined while trying to fix this little quirk.

Thats the view Marshall took a picture of when landing at LAX airport recently, can you spot the giant donut? Randy’s Donuts is a 24-hour drive-in and is often reffered to as the “Big O”. The donut shop is located at 805 West Manchester Avenue near La Cienega and the 405 highway, and of course LAX.

This donut landmark has also appeared in music videos including I Love LA by Randy Newman, Californication by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Bob Sinclair’s video Love Generation. The famous donut has appeared on the food network’s Top 5 - Fab Food Architecture, the History Channel’s Modern Marvels and in Pier Pressure, a first-season episode of Arrested Development.

Have you seen it in any of those? No? Ok… during the 1990s it also appeared in the opening scenes for the Tonight Show (think camera zooming through the center of the donut and into the moon). The landmark building was nominated for Roadside distractions in Weird California. Disney’s Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios even has a representation of this homer simpson weakness. I bet it’s been seen in other places too, care to play spot the donut?

Ron & Larry Weintrab are owners of this L.A. California landmark but somehow I don’t think they approve of at least some of the attention it receives, like this…

1. The Cliffs of Moher

Located on the edge of the Burren area in County Clare, Ireland, the Moher Cliffs are a majestic and very popular Ireland travel ‘must see’ destination.

2. The Cliffs of Moher - Scale

This photo gives a better sense of scale, do you see the people standing on the cliffs edge? Moher Tower at Hags Head is visible in the background.

3. O’brien’s Tower

O’brien’s Tower, also visible in picture #1, was built by Sir Cornelius O’Brian in 1835 to serve as a tourist look-out. On a clear day you can see the Aran Islands and the Hills of Connemara. Interesting fact: over 1 million tourists visited the cliffs in 2006, it’s definitely a must see travel destination at least once in your lifetime. Ireland is breathtaking !

4. Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry

This farmstead is located on the Dingle Peninsula in South West Ireland.

5. Rugged beauty of the Dingle Peninsula

This picture is of the bottom of Mount Eagle, known as Slea Head, wich is also the most south-westerly point of Dingle Peninsula in Kerry County.

6. Blarney Castle

Blarney Castle is located in Blarney near Cork, Ireland. Blarney castle is a medieval castle dating back to AD 1200 and it is home to the Stone of Eloquence, also known as the Blarney stone, which is said to hold magical powers.

7. Blarney Castle Ruins

Blarney Castle is open to the public but partialy in an advanced state of ruins.

8. Ross Castle

Ross Castle, built in the late 1400’s, is located in Killarney National Park, County Kerry and is the ancestral home of the O’Donoghue clan.

9. Ross Castle Legend

Legend exists that O’Donoghue leaped out of the grand chamber window and disappeared into Lough Leane (Lake of Learning) behind the castle along with his horse, his table and his library. It is said that he now lives in a palace at the bottom of the lake and that he keeps a close eye on the castle above.

10. A Beach in Inch Strand, Ireland

You can find jellyfish washed up on this beach in Inch Strand, County Kerry.

11. Slea Head, Ireland

This is another fantastic photo of the Slea Head area in Ireland.

12. Surfing in Ireland

Surfing is popular at the Slea Head area in Ireland, I love the turquoise water!

13. The Connor Pass, Ireland

Doesn’t this photo of the Connor Pass highlight Irish weather perfectly?

14 - 18. Interesting pictures from accross Ireland

19. An Unknown Photographer taking in the beauty of Ireland

A very strong image of an unknown photographer taking in the beauty of Ireland. This image is near perfect in that it is simple yet sends a strong message. Stop and look at the beauty that surrounds us. There is much more to Ireland than in this article, the cities, the nightlife, the gardens and ancient villages but I hope this picture set peaks your interest. Ireland is Beautiful!

1. Edinburgh Castle

This ancient fortress is one of Scotlands most visited tourist attractions and still houses a Garrison of soldiers today albeit mostly for ceremonial purposes.

2. City of Edinburgh

Patricks vacation took him to the city of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and even on this cloudy day you can’t help but notice how charming Edinburgh is.

3. Another great closeup photo of Edinburgh Castle

The view from the opposite side of Edinburgh Castle (and a little less cloudy).

4. In the streets of Edinburgh

5. An abandoned dock in Edinburgh Harbor

6. The view from atop Linlithglow Palace

Linlithglow Palace is located 15 miles west of Edinburgh and its medieval ruins with rich history are a popular tourist destination. Interesting fact: King James the 5th and later his daughter, Mary Queen of Scots, were both born in Linlithgow Palace in 1512 and 1542 respectively.

7. Linlithglow Palace Fountain

Interesting fact: It is said that the fountain was made to pour wine at one time in honor of Charles Edward Stuarts (Bonnie Prince Charlie) visit to the palace in September, 1745. Much of the palace was burned down the following year.

8. The Falkirk Wheel

The Falkirk Wheel is a rotating boat lift connecting the Union canal with the Forth and Clyde canal which are aprox. 79 feet apart in altitude. An ingenious design.

9. The Falkirk Wheel Viaduct

A view of the Ochil Hills from the viaduct while approaching the Falkirk Wheel.

10. Robert The Bruce Monument - Bannockburn Battlefield

This monument of Robert the Bruce reads “Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, 1306 - 1329″ and sits overlooking the battlefield at Bannockburn where Scotland won a great battle against the English durring the middle ages.

11. Inverness, Scotland

Inverness is a city in the northern part of Scotland whos name means ‘mouth of the river Ness’. Inverness is one of Europe’s fastest growing cities and is highly ranked for its quality of life. Nearby Loch Ness flows into the river Ness.

12. Jacobite Steam Train

The Jacobite Steam Train, owned by the West Coast Railway Company, runs from Fort William to Mallaig in the West Highlands and passes Glenfinnan Viaduct.

13. The Glenfinnan Viaduct

Hogwarts Express scenes in the film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets were filmed in this location. This picture was taken from the Jacobite Steam Train.

14. The Glenfiddich Distilery

The Glenfiddich Distilery, located in Dufftown Scotland and has been flowing single malt whiskey since Crhistmas day, 1887. (Sold in 180 countries!)

15. Burghead Harbour

Burghead Harbour in the small town of Burghead, Moray Scotland, used to bustle with activity however fishing is no longer a major factor in the local economy.

The countryside in Edinburgh, Callander, Speyside, Inverness and Aberdeen

23. Lossiemouth Beach

Lossiemouth Beach is located in Moray, Scotland, and this bridge takes you to it.

Nope, no joke. Yahoo! is 100% caught RED HANDED suggesting that visitors gaze at pictures of underage girls in advertising on their own website. Underage pictures are no joke, they destroys lives and causes pain, life long suffering and misery… so WTH is up with this July 4th, 2008 Yahoo! article??

On Friday July 4th, 2008 Yahoo! News ran an article about Ashley Dupre and how she had dropped her lawsuit against Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis. Ashley’s picture originaly spread over the internet like wildfire after it was discovered that a married New York Gov, Elliot Spitzer, had slept with her. The latest Yahoo! article is just an update to say the suit was dropped…

Screen capture of the Independence day, 2008 Yahoo! article

Screen capture of same article promoting underage girl pictures

As you can plainly see in the second screenshot the words ‘underage girls’ are underlined and hovering the mouse over this section results in a popup window encouraging visitors to click through to view pictures of underage girls.

In Yahoo!’s Defence
Yahoo offers methods in which links can be placed directly onto their websites without being screened. It’s likely that Yahoo! has no idea that they are promoting underage pictures.

There is no defence
The reason I’m bothering to write this article is that there absolutely IS NO DEFENCE because there is zero tolerance on the subject. Underage pictures of boys and girls violate the rights of the subject and are against federal law to view. If a school teacher made the suggestion they would be fired and possibly charged, so why is Yahoo! able to get off easily?

Disclaimer - I have not and will not click through to see the pictures Yahoo! is suggesting I take a look at. I would be breaking the law if I did so knowingly.

It’s very possible that certain keywords in this article will trigger attention and you know what? I HOPE THEY DO. Something is broken when one of the internets premiere websites is peddling kiddie pics and now Yahoo! needs to help fix it.

Unrelated but from the same article…

Does the AP really take credit for undated myspace pictures?

Goodnight Yahoo!, I hope you wake up before I do.

Update: July 5th, 2008. The link to pictures of underage girls on Yahoo! news is still active but I want to clarify that It may or may not be a paid link. Yahoo! shortcuts attempts to link related topics together but doesn’t reveal the specific inner workings of how they do. I was hoping the link would be down this morning, I can only believe the term should be added to the black list shortly. I’m a fan of the Yahoo! company in general but when something so blatant comes up… someone has to speak up if nobody else has.

Update: July 6th, 2008. The link has been removed in a speedy response by yahoo!

Diablo is a fantasy based action role-playing series centered around the fictional world of Sanctuary and within the kingdom of Khanduras. Heavily based on the idea of war between heaven and hell Blizzard is set to unleash the third instalment in the Diablo Series.

Screenshots and Concept Art

Diablo 3 Press Release - Official from Blizzard today, 06-28-2008

PARIS, France - June 28, 2008 - Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today revealed Diablo® III, the newest entry in its critically acclaimed action role-playing-game franchise. The announcement was made during the 2008 Blizzard Entertainment® Worldwide Invitational at the Porte de Versailles Convention Centre in Paris, France. A cinematic trailer and an extended gameplay demonstration with commentary from the development team introduced the game to the thousands of players in attendance.

“We’ve wanted to expand on the epic story and gameplay elements of the Diablo universe for some time now,” stated Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We know that players have also been long awaiting a return to the series, so we’re very excited to be sharing this announcement with Blizzard gamers here in Paris and around the world today.”

Diablo III will pick up the story twenty years after the events of Diablo II. Mephisto, Diablo, and Baal have been defeated, but the Worldstone, which once shielded the inhabitants of the world of Sanctuary from the forces of both the High Heavens and the Burning Hells, has been destroyed, and evil once again stirs in Tristram. Playing as a hero from one of five distinct character classes, players will acquire powerful items, spells, and abilities as they explore new and familiar areas of Sanctuary and battle hordes of demons to safeguard the world from the horrors that have arisen. The first two characters classes — the barbarian and the witch doctor — were shown as part of the announcement at the event today in Paris.

Diablo III will feature a custom 3D-graphics engine to render lush indoor and outdoor areas of Sanctuary with a high level of detail and vivid special effects. The game’s physics-enhanced environments will be interactive and destructible, offering traps and obstacles that create added danger for players and monsters alike. These elements, along with a new quest system and random scripted events, will be integrated into the game’s random-level generator, giving Diablo III the ultimate combination of dynamic gameplay and replayability. Cooperative and competitive play will be available online through an upgraded version of Blizzard Entertainment’s renowned online gaming service, Battle.net®.

Blizzard Entertainment is developing Diablo III for simultaneous release on the Windows® and Macintosh® PC platforms. Further information about the game, including details on the other character classes, major new features for the single-player and multiplayer components, system requirements, pricing, and availability, will be announced as development progresses.

Looking good Blizzard - visit Diablo3.com for more details.

Photonose displays a thumbnail of the image(s) you are trying to retrieve and it’s only then that you can decide if you wish to purchase the software so that it can retrieve the full image. The trial will actually tell you if the image exists and will show it to you, which is a very nice touch.

The next time you’ll want to retrieve an image, you’ll wish you had bookmarked photonose! I’m also very tempted to download and try Drive Scorcher… but I’ll resist given that I don’t have a drive available to be emptied right now. I’ve added photo nose to the best blog tools list. enjoy.

Seriously, I bet if you asked Jeremy he’d tell you that he’s seen hundreds, if not thousands, of sites that mimic his by repeating his content in their own unique “see: copied with a few words changed” way and they wonder why they aren’t as popular… or as rich… or as visible on Google Earth.

If you’re young, a student on summer vacation perhaps, LISTEN UP!

GET A JOB! REALLY! Check out Virgin Islands Jobs for example and get a job in an interesting part of the world that doesn’t require you to look up out of your parents basement window to see the outside world. I’m not insulting you, I’m telling you to find interesting temporary work in an interesting place and BRING YOUR DIGITAL CAMERA and LAPTOP! Enjoy the experience.

People like to live vicariously, if you hear a cool story from the cute waitress at the coffee shop down the street from where you’re staying, and you happen to be in the virgin islands at the time, TAKE HER PICTURE and pictures of the coffee shop, the view behind the coffee shop, definitely some water pictures and BE INTERESTING and people WILL enjoy reading what you write. Even if it has no subject whatsoever, like this post.

To be VERY clear.

I DON’T want to read the three times regurgitated “I hate SEO” crap you’re in the middle of writing, I do my own SEO like most other bloggers.

I DO want to see the cute waitress you heard something interesting from.

I DO want to know whats its like in the virgin islands, with pictures.

I DO want to know what other people are doing UNLESS they’re too much like me already. I know me, I know my life, the city around me. BRING ME INTERESTING and I love you long time. Go somewhere cool + bring a camera!

(Moms and dads of dot com dreamers, you’re welcome)

I took a drive down to my local copy shop and found out that they would do the work for me, in about 8 days, and for a cost that felt much too high. The cost wasn’t my main concern, the lack of ISO compliance and no guarantee of privacy of my documents made me uncomfortable and I declined.

I’ve just spent the morning online looking for a solution (and for part of the morning I thought about starting this as my own business) and I’ve decided to go with Digital Documents LLC. Their Scanning Services include everything I was looking for, it’s a nationwide ISO compliant company, their reputation is excellent, the cost and turnaround time is reasonable.

I’ll update this article when I receive the final product, I have NO doubt life will be more enjoyable with all my documents available at the click of a mouse button. I’m NOT going to mind having a good sized portion of my living space be free of boxes of files… if you have used the services of a document scanning company please share your experience or recomendations below.

And to think - just 15 years ago this topic didn’t exist!

The Good: You’ve heard the preaching I’m sure. GPS tracking can help you locate loved ones, it can help you navigate to where you want to go, global positioning systems can even help others locate you in an emergency. GPS’s are here to stay, they have saved lives already.

In fact GPS tracking has been around for a long time but the cost of such systems prohibited the units from becoming household items. Trucking companies keep track of their fleets with GPS tracking for example. Ships at sea use them routinely. The military has had some form of GPS in place long before then too. So what is all the hubub about?

The Fun: The 2008 Olympic games, through a company called gypsii, are GPS enabled with a system that lets you know what is going on where and it merges that information with social networks and blogs in real time. More on that in an upcoming post.

Geolocation: The treasurte hunt. For a little fun why not head out and find good safe places to bury small items or instructions and then sharing the GPS co-ordinates with friends to see if they can find them? Bury the next set of -co-ordinates with the item and you can have a full blown treasure hunt. Better yet, join a geolocation enthusiast website and hunt for items as part of a network, it’s a lot of fun.

The Evil: Should your employer be alowed to fire you if your gps tracked vehicle stops for 20 minutes while your breaks are only 15 minutes long? It’s happened. How about a GPS enabled company phone or pager, does your boss have the ability to track you even while your off work? It’s happening. Are you divorced? If so, has your ex tried to upload gps tracking software to the kids cellphones (several websites offer this, as do some private investigators) in order to monitor where they go during your custodial time? It’s happening too.

GPS tracking can save your life and help you get around and they can be a lot of fun, but how do you feel about being watched and monitored, sometimes without permission? I’m not asking about the times that you can write off as just being paranoid, I mean more devious consequences of using GPS tracking.

Teachers for example, did your best friend rent a place to throw a bachelor party and you attended (and behaved 100%) only to receive a call a few days later from someone threatening to show the GPS tracked proof that you go to ‘bad places’. At first the letter seems trivial but wait - what will the parents of your third grade students think about it?

Is your job at risk? Your marriage? Your child custody? Of course not if you’re not doing anything that would risk them to begin with BUT that doesn’t mean someone can’t accuse you which sometimes is more damaging that the truth.

Awareness - GPS tracking offers it, don’t let evil doers track you!

In no particular order…

1. Being a photographer when your boss says “running of the bulls”.

2. Being an affiliate marketer, when your site is on a free host.

3. Being a squirrel, trying to get a nut.

4. Being “That Girl” at the local county fair.

5. I can’t look - cell phone tower, top of building, next!

6. Data entry when sharing a cubicle with “Big Willy”.

7. Being a cashier in the store behind the shooting range.

8. A tour of duty with the elephant brigade.

9. Trying to win a beauty contest, in Chernobyl.

10. Sharing the planet with humans.

11. Being captain of a BIG tow boat, when surrounded by little bridges.

12. Being a Materazzi, when near a Zidane.

13. Being that Mentos Fresh Breath guy.

14. Being a snowman after a fresh snowfall.

15. Being a student saleperson and trying to get ANYBODY to listen.

There are many more, there always will be, if you’re in one send a pic!

Keep them coming, leave a comment if you have a good one to share!

The H’Angus Legend - During the Napoleonic wars, a French ship was wrecked near Hartlepool. The sole survivor, a monkey, was found wearing a French military uniform and had likely provided entertainment for the crew. After finding the monkey and believing it to be a spy some local residents held a trial on the beach to decide what to do with it. The monkey couldn’t answer the questions and so it was found to be a French spy. The monkey was then reportedly hanged by Hartlepudlians, a fitting end to spies during those times. Bizarre!

Monkey Hanger may sound like a harsh nickname but it’s grown to become a term of endearment to many Old Hartlepool soccer fans (and foes) despite the unsavory origins of the monkey hanger legend. Is the legend Real or Fantasy?

This is a reminder that Arnold Schwarzenegger, Govorner of California, passed a law back in 2006 that prohibits drivers from driving their vehicles while using a hand held cell phone (unless you have an emergency of course). The law comes in to effect on July 1st, 2008 and the minimum fine is $20.00 dollars.

Feel free to share YOUR opinion of Schwarzeneggers law below, good or bad.

These interesting photos of various abandoned aircrafts were taken by a retired Russian Air Force Colonel, Minaichenkov Igor W, and they depict what happened to many warplanes after the collapse of the USSR. The planes are in various stages of decay and many of the aerospace parts have been salvaged.

Interesting Facts - In this image set you may have noticed a large carrier type of aircraft with the letters CCCP 09317 on the side, it was a workhorse when in use by the USSR. It’s a heavy military transport aircraft designated ‘An-22 Antheus’ after the Greek god Poseidon and in it’s time carried the USSRs main battle tanks and missle launchers into battle. It was also capable of carrying almost 300 soldiers or 150 paratroopers with equipment.

Don’t let the Aeroflot title deceive you, the An-22 Antheus was operated mostly by the military from bases in Tver and Ivanovo. It was superceded by the An-24 Condor but continued being used because of it’s unique payload characteristics.

In 1991, despite several years of Perestroika (restructuring) and a policy of Glastnost (transparency) by Mikhail Gorbachev the USSR disolved, bringing an end to the cold war at the same time. The following 45 historical pictures and photographs were mostly taken during the 1970’s and are available under a creative commons license from Pixdaus. With the collapse came abolishment of censorship, total freedom of expression and freedom to criticise the government.

1. Neuschwanstein Castle Panoramic Image

Castle Neuschwanstein (Schloss Neuschwanstein in German) is a 19th century Bavarian palace located near Füssen in South-West Bavaria and was built by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a personal retreat. It now sees 1.3 million visitors a year.

In the beautiful panoramic castle photo above, created by joiseyshowaa, you can get a sense of the castles strategic position atop a mountain nestled between cliffs with a view that extends for miles. Easily defendable in it’s time.

2. Neuschwanstein Castle Viewed From Above

Jeff Wilcox took this incredible picture of Neuschwanstein Castle after hiking for over an hour and a half from the castles doors. You begin to realise how immense Neuschwanstein Castle is when it still appears large at this distance.

It would have been impossible to build battle rams in hopes of sieging the castle given it’s position, as you can see in this image. Equally impressive, and the reason the castle looks so impressive, is that it was designed by a theatrical proffesional, Christian Jank, and not an architectural expert. Eduard Riedel, and later Georg Dollmann, did provide the architectural expertise needed for building in such a perilous location but not at the expense of sheer grandeur and beauty.

3. Neuschwanstein Castle Photocrom via United States Library of Congress

Though Neuschwanstein appears to be a medieval wonder it was built to include the premiere technology of its time and includes steam engines, electricity, modern venting and heating pipes within its original structure. The castle itself pays homage to the German legends of Lohengrin, the Swan Knight, and was originaly named New Hohenschwangau. It’s not until after King Ludwig II’s untimely 1886 death that the castle was renamed Schloss Neuschwanstein.

4. Inside Neuschwanstein Castle

It is said that photography is not permitted from inside the castle though many photos exist, such as the one above taken by glynnish. As you can see from this throne room photo the interior design of the castle is extremely rich, colorful and detailed over every square inch of its interior.

Neuschwanstein means ‘new swan stone’ and swans play a major part of the castles design. Cinderellas sleeping beauty castle at Disneyland is also heavily influenced by castle Neuschwanstein and the castle has been included in various movies and video games over the years.

5. Castle Neuschwanstein is especially beautiful in winter

Winter snow brings out a fairytale like beauty of the castle as can be seen in the stunning photograph taken by ingirogiro yet for all its beauty the castles story includes some as of yet unresolved mysteries. King Ludwig II became merely a vassal of his Prussian uncle when Austria and Bavaria were conquered by the expanding Prussian state in 1866, during the German War. By 1885 Ludwig II was in serious financial difficulty with foreign banks and when he refused to act rationaly he was declared insane. It was also rumored he stole from his people.

‘Ludwig the mad’ was then interned in Berg Palace but a day later he died under mysterious drowning circumstances in Lake Starnberg along with the same psychiatrist who had certified him insane. Foul play can be suspected under such circumstances but the mystery was never and has never been publicly resolved.

6. Neuschwanstein Upper Courtyard (minus the keep)

When Ludwig II died in 1886 his dream castle was not yet complete. One of the unfinished sections can be found in the upper courtyard where a spectacular keep would have been built. Rita Willaert took this amazing image of the upper courtyard as it stands today and in the lower left corner you can see part of what would have been the foundation for the center keep.

A keep is somewhat similar to a small castle in its own right and was often used as a final defense against invading armies should they breach the outer walls. Just 7 weeks after Ludwigs death the Castle was opened to tourists.

A coal train suffered wheel damage, apparently caused by a worn bearing, about 17 miles east of Shannon Springs, K.C. on Friday, April 12th, 2002. Heat generated by the damaged wheel caused smoke which was noticed by an alert crew member and the train came to an emergency stop following procedure.

Unfortunately the train happened to stop while partially over a wooden railroad trestle which was subsequently ignited by the damaged wheels heat and the fire spread along the entire span of the bridge. The trains conductor saved most of the train by detaching the cars immediately before and after the ends of the trestle and moved them a safe distance away. Cars number 50 to 55 were lost in the fire but no reports of injury were filed. [via RockinghamRemembered]

The railroad trestle was rebuilt with concrete and steele over the next few days.

Since I receive so many funny pictures, especially from family members living abroad, I’m thinking this will become a regular monthly event. You’ve likely seen some of these before but with 20 at a time hopefully you haven’t seen them all.

Buy a cheap or broken keyboard that looks similar so that you can whip out the good keyboard when the boss comes looking. Humor source - offbeatearth

It’s believed that Dekotora began in 1975 after the release of a movie aptly called ‘Trucker’ in which the star drives one such vehicle all over Japan. There is no set guideline in design, the goal is to make the truck stand out.

THAT they do very well, you think?

And keep an eye out for Dekotora in a video game near you…

2. The Mediterranean Bathroom

Mediterranean bathrooms feature neutral earth tones and pastel colors and sometimes have floor to ceiling travertine tiles like the one depicted in this image by sarahleeab. Floor to ceiling mirrors make the bathroom feel much larger.

3. Antique Style Bathroom

The antique style bathroom retains the appearance of age by merging olden style bathtubs and wash basins with modern plumbing. The wooden walls and choice of window enhance the antique feel. Of course, real antique tubs can be used as well. This image by sarahleeab includes a modern shower.

4. Simple Modern Bathroom w/walk in tub

This modern bathroom features a simple large cabinet with matching mirror and more interestingly a walk in shower that is also a bathtub. The tub tiles match the flooring giving the room a uniform appearance.

5. Open Bath House Design

The open bath house design features one large room with little in the way of privacy but a lot of room to relax and get ready in. This design with ample open room is perfect if needing to dress up frequently is required by your lifestyle.

6. Contemporary Bathroom

This contemporary bathroom grabs attention with a vivid contrast between white and several different shades of blue. Space is used effectively and a uniform and symetrical feel is the result. Green would also work well with this design.

7. Oriental Bathroom

Simple elegance with minimal clutter and eye pleasing textures are hallmarks of an oriental bathroom. Peaceful, tranquility and soothing describe this design.

And when you’re just in too much of a hurry to appreciate the beauty…

8. The SS Flusher Rocket Powered Toilet

This work of art, created by Ky ‘RocketMan’ Wilson has a 1000lb thrust rocket motor that engages when you flush. Hey, when you’ve gotta go, go fast!