The fastest remote-controlled car in the world

Everybody can afford or get a hold of a Bugatti Veyron or Koenigsegg Agera R. This naturally makes for an elite club of high flying golf club swinging middle aged men, but what if you could have just as much fun for just £700? Well now you can. Introducing the Traxxas XO-1, the world’s fastest remote-controlled car which will sprint from 0-60mph in 2.3 seconds and reach a ton in under 5. At 27 inches long, the car is far from as portable as your average catalogue product, but it has some neat technology lying beneath which allows it to be as fast as it is.

Essentially, the Traxxas XO-1 features a light weight aluminium frame and a high-output Traxxas/Castle Mamba Monster Extreme brushless motor which powers all four wheels booted up to two Power Cell 3S 5000mAh lithium-polymer batteries. On top of that, there are a few neat design considerations too, including a rear diffuser and front splitter to keep aerodynamics in check at high speed.

For a remote controlled car of this size, we reckon in order for the 0-60mph sprint to be achieved at 2.3 seconds the remote controlled car would need only around 80BHP and 110lbs/ft of torque, allowing for a HUGE power to weight ratio. Interested? Hit up the Traxxas source link below.

Source: Traxxas

View the original article here

Read More

Basic Gimp Tools Introduction

Are you someone who is desperate for Photoshop but can’t afford to pay the hefty price tag? Don’t worry, if you have been looking longingly at your computer and hoping that a photo and graphics editing program will somehow magically appear, you may just have found the solution. Gimp is an open source program that has an amazing amount of functionality considering that it is completely free. It does take a bit of time to learn how it works but once you do it is an absolutely invaluable tool, and also used by event photographers and industry professionals alike.

Here are some basic tools:
Fuzzy Select & Colour Select:  You can use these tools to quickly select and edit certain parts of images. If there are certain colours that you want to change or parts that you want to cut out then you can use these tools to make the relevant selections as opposed to doing a freehand select which is much more time consuming.

Colour Picker: This is a great tool that allows you to add some colour continuity to your graphics and images. Select the colour picker tool and click on the colour in your image that you want to duplicate. It will store that colour for you and allow you to use it again for text and backgrounds.

Crop: This is a simple little tool that does exactly what it says; it crops images, layers and sections of layers.

Transform Tools: The transform tools are made up of flip, rotate, sheer, perspective and scale. These tools are very helpful when you are positioning text or images on to a flyer or piece of artwork. You can re-scale your layers and pasted sections to get them to the right size for your overall image and you can change the perspective of certain element too.

CloneTool: This is a really useful tool if you are editing images of people. If there are spots or other blemishes that you want to get rid of then select your clone tool and hover over a section of skin that is perfect. Press Ctrl + C and the clone tool will store a copy of that piece of skin as a paintbrush. You then click on the spot or problem area and the clone tool will use the clone it has just taken to cover over the blemish.

View the original article here

Read More

The Hidden Crate of Top 5 Weird But Funny Android Apps

Perhaps you pretend that you bought your Android phone (or tablet) to work to track business calls or to have easy access to your work Gmail and business contacts, or to track your business’ mobile broadband bill. But the truth, of course, is playing with those strange but fun Android apps.

Having an Android powered smartphone enables you to download and install as many apps you want. Some of them are quite strange and deserve to be categorized as downright weird. But that should not hamper you from downloading them as they are fun to use, addictive and good time pass stuff. This article contains and reviews five strange but somewhat useful apps you can download to your Android for free.

Speaking like a pirate, owners of cars in the big cities often find themselves parking in the street. Those who work in the mall, for instance, have to park their car in a huge lot. It can be very easy to forget where you parked, which is where Carrr Matey comes in handy.
Indeed, other apps do exist, but this is arguably the best one on the Android market. Not only does the GPS allow you to mark and locate your car, but it speaks like a rough, sailing pirate. Don’t park your car — drop your anchor, and let Carrr Matey find your dock again. You can even set a timer to remind you when your parking meter is about to run out.

The latest Star Trek iteration has completely wiped the franchise and started it fresh, meaning it is okay to admit your Trekkie status. In other words, it also means you can show off your recently downloaded Android app called Tricorder, which beeps just like the “real” ones from the franchise. It even visually looks like a device Scotty would have used to double-check the engines.
However, Tricorder does actually come with some practical use. For instance, it can measure how strong your Wi-Fi and cellular signals are wherever you are, as well as the acoustical levels of your surrounding area — such as if you are about to record your voice for a podcast.
It also informs you the nearest satellites and GPS signal, which helps if you ever want to know why your GPS service is being a bit erratic. In other words, it has a little something for every technology nerd, all with the added bonus of the single most interesting interfaces on this side of the Neutral Zone.
You remember the times when you saw your favorite band perform at a concert. You jumped crazily and burst out the lyrics in perfect sync with the singer. Back in the day, all it took to show you were having a great time was taking out your lighter and flicking it on, waving it back and forth — unfortunately, management and health codes of the concert hall alike have both decided that thousands of lit lighters are a bit of a fire hazard. What else can you do?
Take out that Android and open your lighter; that is, your Bic Concert Lighter app. What this app offers is a full-screen image of one of many Bic lighters — you can pick the design in the Settings option, which include Tattoos, Geometrics, Flick my BIC and Astrology.

Flicking the lighter open is as simple as touching the screen, featuring the hidden flame underneath and a realistic sound effect to accompany it. Swaying your Android back and forth or left to right shows the appropriate movement by the flame in order to stay upright, just like a real lighter.
Want another way to help get back the money spent for that new Android? Not a problem — just use Easy Metal Detector Lite to find any lost coins floating around your neighborhood.

View the original article here

Read More

Top 5 Shocking Revelations From Steve Jobs FBI File

A secret FBI file on Steve Jobs is revealing new details about the late Apple co-founder and chief executive officer. FBI has released a 191-page dossier that the agency compiled on former Apple CEO Steve Jobs in 1991. The agency’s lengthy document on Jobs has more than 30 interviews of friends, neighbors, family, former business associates and Jobs himself.

The interviews were part of a background check for an appointment to the President George HW Bush’s Export Council.  From the file, it seems Jobs spent some time working for the government, reportedly on satellite and software-related programs. In fact, in 1988, Steve Jobs held a “Top Secret” clearance. He lost that clearance  in 1990.
It’s not known if Steve Jobs was aware of his FBI file, but he was interviewed during the background check and cooperated. Here are some interesting revelations from the FBI’s dossier.
“Several individuals questioned Mr Jobs’s honesty stating that Mr Jobs will twist the truth and distort reality in order to achieve his goals,” according to the materials released by the FBI. One worker at Apple Computer called Jobs, “A deceptive individual who is not completely forthright and honest.”

One of the person interviewed by FBI said that Jobs alienated a lot of people at Apple Computer Inc as a result of his ambition.  Two people associated with Jobs at Apple told the FBI that Jobs possessed integrity as long as he got his way. They did not elaborate, the FBI agent wrote.
So much so that, another individual “believed the appointee has what it takes to assume a high level political position within the government, which in his opinion, honesty and integrity are NOT prerequisites to assume such a position.” This was no compliment, but a hint at his level of deceit.
The dossier which actually shows the enormous lengths to which the FBI went to in their investigation, also has Steve Job’s school records.
The records show that Jobs received an average grade of 2.65 out of 4 during his days at Homestead High School in California between 1968 to 1972.
But here is a note of caution for mediocre students who are ready to take heart from Jobs’ grades that along with the unimpressive grades, he was already fooling around with computers and computer-oriented friends in a manner that in retrospect showed great promise. Comparatively, Bill Gates also dropped out of college but only after his genius with computers was already proved.

Both Steve Jobs and Apple Computer are notorious for their obsession with secrecy. For instance it is no secret how Apple Banned Gizmodo after they leaked iPhone 4 pics prior to its release.
Documents reveal that they were not particularly helpful to FBI officials as well. In fact, according to document, FBI officials complained that Jobs’ secretary made them wait three weeks to interview him.
Jobs was also the victim of an extortion attempt, according to the FBI’s report. The agency investigated a 1985 bomb threat against Jobs, in which an unidentified male made a series of calls and said that “devices” had been placed in homes of certain individuals and “one million dollars must be paid”.
Did You Know? Steve Jobs Threatened ‘Thermonuclear War’ on Google’s Android OS
The caller left instructions that one of the victims should go to the San Francisco Hilton hotel in order to pick up a note left under a table near a candy machine. The call-back number left by the would-be extortionist was traced to a public telephone in a parking garage at San Francisco International Airport. Law enforcement officials cordoned off the areas where the caller said that he has placed the bombs but found nothing.
And for those who are curious about the result of all these Steve Jobs interviews – he did eventually serve in capacity for which these interviews were conducted.

View the original article here

Read More

How to Make Your Blog Stand Out?

Branding your blog sounds like a great concept to make your blog stand out and gain traffic. Right? But how is it done exactly? How can you use branding to make your blog stand out among the crowd? What does branding mean? Read on if you are looking for answers to some of these questions…

There are some blogs that are so strongly branded that all you have to do is check out the logo on their Facebook page, and you’ll know exactly what website it represents. When you’re able to create that type of brand synchronicity in your blog niche, readers will automatically check out your blog whenever they have any questions related to your industry.

To begin branding your blog, start with the basics. Make sure that your blog has consistent design on each page, including all of your social media profiles. Even though using the same colors, font, and images may seem subtle, your readers will automatically recognize your style no matter where you post a link to your content.

In many cases, your blog’s strength may be something intangible, like creating a community full of stimulating reader comments or posting unique interviews with leaders in your industry. Whatever your blog does best, continue to do it and do it well.

View the original article here

Read More