When it comes to live entertainment, few things unlock the imagination of modern-day audiences like a good escape.
All of the elements of drama are there: a major obstacle to overcome (usually a lock), the possibility of catastrophic failure and danger, as well as the very real threat against the well-being of the brave soul whoâ??s attempting the stunt.
Today, many artists such as David Straitjacket and Criss Angel keep escapology alive and well, with incredibly amazing stunts.
This revived thrill has become such a pastime that itâ??s worth actually unlocking their mysterious world and examining who some of the trickiest escape artists in history were and are. Some of them continue to work today, while someone like Houdini helped pioneer the art of escaping in front of a crowd. So without further ado, here are four of the top names in escape artistry:
4. Anthony Martin
Martinâ??s unique take is that he is a purist: he hates using trick locks, which means that he truly has to unlock himself every time he puts himself in a tough situation. He also likes making big risks, like jumping out of airplanes, which mean that if he fails to escape from his self-imposed trap in time, he will be at a real risk for dying. Thatâ??s the kind of drama Anthony Martin incorporates into his stunts â?? and itâ??s going to be a frequent theme for some of the escape artists on this list, all of whom are constantly pushing themselves (and the boundaries) to the very limits with each and every stunt.
3. Steve Santini
Canadaâ??s Steve Santiniâ??s background as a locksmith who was especially expert in keys and locks helps him escape various situations, to be sure, but whatâ??s remarkable about his own stunts is that he puts himself in such extreme situations and somehow comes out all right in the end. Santini is also a name that has, like Houdiniâ??s, become synonymous with escape artistry â?? especially as Santini is one of the ones out there pushing the envelope.
2. David Blaine
Using the name David Blaine today seems to evoke the same emotions as mentioning a name like â??Houdini.â? When you hear that David Blaine is doing a stunt, you tend to ask, â??Well, what is he doing this time?â? He constantly tops himself by pushing his mental capacity â?? and his body â?? to the limit. His specialty is mind-over-matter stunts like holding his breath for a long time or being encased in ice. In essence, he likes putting himself in situations that most normal people would like to escape from within just minutesâ?¦and then he stays there for incomprehensible lengths of time.
1. Harry Houdini
Harry Houdiniâ??s impact on escape artistry is so long-standing that his very name has become synonymous with being able to escape. These days, if we unlock something challenging, people will refer to us as a â??Houdiniâ? simply because of Houdiniâ??s storied past as an escape artist. And itâ??s for good cause â?? Harry Houdini was an American entertainment icon who pushed the envelope in an age when few people were willing to do what Houdini was willing to do.
Meg Jones enjoys writing about security and safety issues for Phoenix Lock Master in the state of Arizona.
As social media rises in both popularity and importance, it also seems that the number of social media accounts that are being hacked is also growing.
Itâ??s fairly obvious just how important social media is in the modern world. With the likes of Twitter and Facebook becoming a larger and more important part of our lives, there are numerous benefits. People can use it to stay in touch, and businesses have a direct access line to their immediate customer base.
It is estimated that 600,000 Facebook accounts were hacked alongside 55,000 Twitter accounts across the world in May of this year. This isn’t just targeting the public, either. Even the likes of journalists and businesses that have a secure grip on their personal accounts (often used to liaise with the public) have had their Facebook accounts accessed.
The importance of social media
Yet it is these reasons that also make social media a target for hacking. Since these websites and services are fulfilling an increasingly crucial role, their vulnerability is only becoming more and more obvious.
If you run a company or business, then you are no doubt using social media for this purpose. With this in mind, the likes of Facebook are a valuable marketing tool. You can easily communicate directly with people who are interested in your business or product. As such, itâ??s important to have control over this area. If it gets hacked, for instance, then you are no longer in direct control. The hacker is then able, if they wish, to cause disturbance between you and your clients. Not only can this potentially cost you business, the long term effects on your reputation can extend this further into the future as well.
What to do if youâ??ve been hacked
If you do get hacked, itâ??s important to respond as quickly as possible. The ALLOW protection service, for example, covers this. ALLOW can offer social media insurance, which means in the case of a hacking or other damaging effects, support is offered. This includes both expert and legal assistance to help regain control of your accounts, in addition to removing any negative messages and repairing any damage that may have been done to your reputation. The sooner you do this, the better, so it pays to have a service on hand for this potential scenario.
Prevention
Of course, the best course of action is prevention. There are many methods you can use to help reduce or stop hackers from gaining access to your account.
One that I recently tested is the ALLOW service already covers much of this, offering a data protection service to ensure that your information isn’t spread. After all, it only takes a simple password to get into your accounts.
Additionally, you can also take steps yourself. Whether itâ??s through having a complicated password or making sure only those people you know have your e-mail address, there is plenty you can do. Try, for instance, making sure every password is different. If your passwords are all the same, a hacker only needs to learn one password before being able to cause considerable damage.
The wildly popular game was designed specifically for mobile devices, and those who like to spend their time helping the bright birds take revenge on the pigs that stole their eggs have come to expect Angry Birds apps on all their phones, tablets  and other internet-connected, touch screen devices.  When Amazon came out with its Kindle Touch 3G, an e-reader with a touch screen and built-in internet connectivity, many people accustomed to the amenities of their iPads may have seen it as an equivalent device.
Designed for Reading
However, the fact remains that the Kindle Touch 3G is primarily an e-reader. Its increased web access and the new touch screen are designed to help avid readers find more reading material more quickly, and to read, translate, take notes, look up definitions and do other reading-type things with ease and convenience. If you love to read, then the Touch 3G should thrill youâ??not so much if you want to play games.
The bottom line is that there is no Angry Birds app for the Kindle Touch 3G. None was ever made. If you want to play Angry Birds on your Kindle, then you will need to purchase a Kindle Fire, which is designed to be more like an iPad in functionality. Even if you could buy Angry Birds for the Kindle Touch, you might not like it.
Not Designed for Games
For one thing, the screen on a Kindle Touch 3G is too small. The whole thing is designed to be small and light so that itâ??s easy to carry, but small screens make it hard to play a fast-moving touch-controlled game. Perhaps an even bigger deal is the simple lack of color. Like many mobile games, Angry Birds features brilliant colors, and itâ??s hard to imagine that it would have as much appeal in shades of grey. But again, the Kindle Touch 3G was designed for readers, with its goal to appear as much like paper and (black) ink as possible. Jettisoning unnecessary colors allows it to upload text more quickly, and to work in an efficient, energy saving manner. However, it also made Rovio, the makers of Angry Birds, decide not to invest in creating a version for the Kindle Touch.
Kindle Fire Better Choice
Amazon proved that it had listened to user complaints when it issued the Kindle Fire, which has a larger screen, full color, and many familiar games and apps available, including Angry Birds. Itâ??s a little more costly than the Kindle Touch, so if youâ??re looking at Kindles, consider what you really want it for, and how you plan to use if, before choosing the one best suited for you.
Unfortunately, those who rushed out to by a Touch 3G after its release, believing that they could use it to play their favorite games, really have no recourse. Itâ??s a tablet that was designed for reading, not playing, and simply doesnâ??t have the capacity to host a game like Angry Birds in a form that would be worth playing.
Fire up the jack-o’-lanterns, put on your favourite horror flick and get the sweets and chocolate ready for the trick-or-treaters – thatâ??s right, Halloween is looming.
Whatâ??s now become more of a commercial celebration than an ancient pagan harvest festival, Halloween is the perfect time to get into the spirit of, well, spirits.
However if you feel that getting dressed up in silly costumes is something just for kids, well you donâ??t have to miss out on the festivities. You can get into the mood of Halloween in a far more up-to-date and technological way â?? in the palm of your hand â?? on your latest Smartphone. Take a look at a number of cool Halloween apps available on Appleâ??s iPhone â?? theyâ??re â??bloodyâ?? awesome.
Make a Zombie
Get your spooky creativity on with this zombie creator App. Choose from a wide range of characters and literally turn them into a gruesome mess. Expose brains, bones and flesh. Use knives and an assortment of weaponry. No matter how zombified your characters become, theyâ??ll always remain disturbingly friendly. See for yourself.
Halloween Sounds Pro
The perfect App to really freak out your friends or family, the Halloween Sounds pro allows you make as many eerie noises as possible. Whether itâ??s an evil laugh, a creaky door, the sound of a witch, or a chainsaw, there is a veritable feast of scary sounds to make your Halloween complete. To make it even more fun, you can set your sounds on a delay option, or even better using blue tooth and another device you can remotely work the device, when youâ??re out of the room â?? happy haunting!
Halloween Card Creator
For those of you who are less inclined to get dressed up in ghostly costumes, roaming your local streets scarring residents or trying to get as many sweets as possible, then why not get into the spirit of things by creating and sending a spooky greetings card. If you have a friend thatâ??ll really appreciate your artistic endeavours, then why not express your scary sentiments for them in a Halloween greetings card? Theyâ??ll love it.
Pocket Cocktails
For the adults, why not get into the spirit of things by hosting a fun, but freaky, Halloween party? Amongst your apple bobbing and themed foods, make sure your guests have a quirky Halloween drink in their hand. The Pocket Cocktail App will give you all the inspiration you need. A shot of Bloody Brain, Monster Punch or Pumpkin-Tini â?? the choice is yours.
Costume Decider
If you love getting dressed up for Halloween but are bored of the same old suggestions, then why not get an App that decides for you? With 625 original costume ideas, simply spin the wheel to decide your fate. When the two wheels stop, youâ??ll be given an entirely unique costume idea, for you to wear, if you dare. Thereâ??s also the option to feature on the App creators blog, so if you feel your Halloween costume is the best, send your picture in via the app, and you could become an unlikely horror-star â?? if such a thing exists.
This Guest Post has been provided by Insurance2Go, a leading provider of iPhone insurance.
Sometimes we can be a little reluctant to invite people to our homes.
Whether you live in Brooklyn or Brooks Reach, thereâ??s always some reason we might not always want to have people over. Theyâ??re a little messy, or a little odd-looking, so it can be difficult to get over the fact that other people wonâ??t mind as much.
If you have a problem with feeling self conscious about how your home looks, though, you should take a look at these â?? some of the worldâ??s weirdest homes:
The Crooked House, Sopot, Poland
No, you havenâ??t had too much wine. This is the Crooked House in Sopot Poland, based upon the work of artist and childrenâ??s book illustrator Jan Martin Szancer and Swedish painter Per Dahlberg. It looks like any other building…except for the fact that it is sagging in exhaustion. Construction of this weird looking building began in the January of 2003 and was completed in December of that year. Located in the Rezydent shopping centre, itâ??s a wonderful building that stands out.
The Crooked House, Sopot, Poland
Everingham Rotating House
When youâ??re deciding on a house, itâ??s of the utmost importance that you ask the right questions. Does your house come with all the features that you want? Does it have a pool? Does it have a large rumpus room? Does it have enough bedrooms? Most importantly, does it rotate? This house in Everingham does, and it costed the same amount of money to build as a non-rotating house of its size. Who knows, you might just want the sun to be shining in your room every hour of daylight, in which case you may want to install 32 outrigger wheels and two 500W electric motors to spin your house around. In any case, this is one of the strangest features weâ??ve seen, and weâ??re still scratching our heads as to why someone would want to rotate their house.
The Nautilus
If you feel like your house is missing a crowd of tourists milling around outside, you should definitely get in contact with Javier Sensonian. Heâ??s the architect of the Nautilus, which is just one of many buildings that he has designed, inspired by nature, in what he calls â??bio architectureâ??. The Nautilus looks like a crustaceanâ??s shell, and features several bits of vegetation inside, if it wasnâ??t already apparent enough that this was a green house. The mosaic facade is a lovely final touch.
Sensonianâ??s other work includes buildings that are hugely inspired by nature, to the point of looking like snakes and whales, among many, many others.
Joe Bedet is an enthusiast of architecture, whose passion has driven him to seek the worldâ??s weirdest buildings. Heâ??s happy to own a normal building on some nice real estate; Dapto is where he calls home, in the lovely Brooks Reach community.
For many webmasters and SEO experts, posting on blogs as a guest writer is considered one of the best ways for website owners to obtain and feature useful content that will help in gaining exposure for their online sites.
And content is a key component of search engine optimization. A well-crafted and relevant content will remain to be the foundation wherein online marketing campaign will be built upon. Get your quality content up in a blog ownerâ??s site as a guest blog and start building your online presence from there. The musts of guest blogging
The benefits of guest blog posting can be maximized. The guest blogger should determine his goals for submitting guest posts. Is it to establish authority in the industry, or do you want to get traffic back to your website, or do you want to build backlinks to your site? The kind of content you will create will depend on the objective. If you are creative enough you can integrate all three objectives in your blog content.
Another important thing to remember is finding the right guest post opportunity. While there are a multitude of blog site owners, you need to find one that is relevant to your industry. You should also look for blog site owners who are active on social media and with an audience that remains engaged even with guest bloggers. You also need to find out the type and level of audience the blog site has, the type of content they write about, and the type of guest bloggers they have. How engaged are the audience? Do the other guest bloggers receive comments or feedbacks from the readers? These important pieces of information will help you craft the right content for your guest post.
After choosing the right guest blogging site, make sure that you read the siteâ??s guidelines. By being aware of the set guidelines before contacting the blog site owner, it will not be difficult to convince the blog site owner of what you can contribute to the blog site with your guest post. And because you are properly guided by the set guidelines, the blog site owner will not have any problem with your guest post because you clearly understood the blog siteâ??s requirements. Some blog owners may have previous experience with guest bloggers who are not compliant with the specified requirements, so make sure you indicate your full understanding of the conditions of guest posts.
Defining the real objectives
Even if the objective you have for submitting guest post is to build traffic back to your website, you must not forget that a guest post is not about your business or products or services. Guest posts are meant to be valuable sources of useful information about the industry which the blog site owner is apparently serving. Your guest post is not a vehicle for advertisement but should be focused on anything other than your business. Depending on the guidelines, guest posts are sometimes allowed to include internal and source links. You may also include call to action messages for comments and feedbacks in order to engage the readers and audience. If your post generates discussion it shows you have been successful in engaging them with your guest post.
Cedric Loiselle is an experienced writer who enjoys imparting useful information to many readers. The topics he usually writes about include business and finance, home improvement, lifestyle, and health.
After all, parking is often one of an airport ownerâ??s major sources of profits.
However, for iPhone owners, there is a way to reduce the cost of taking your car to the airport and leaving it there while you go on holidays. Check out these three ingenious iPhone apps for airport parking to make your next holiday stress-free.
BestParking.com
Car park operators often do not reveal their prices until you are so far into the car park that it would be easier to just pay the charges instead of turning back to find somewhere cheaper. Therefore, without planning ahead, travellers can often get hit with astronomical costs for airport parking as a result of not shopping around.
The BestParking app takes the effort out of comparing airport parking fees. The app uses the iPhoneâ??s inbuilt GPS functionality to search for cheap parking garages near you, complete with car park operator phone numbers and opening hours. Best of all, the app also features special discounts that can be scored when booking in advance. Unlike many other car parking apps, BestParking was made with airport car parks in mind â?? it allows users to book for days or weeks on end, whereas traditional parking apps usually only allow for hourly bookings.
AirportParking.com
AirportParking.com is another iPhone app that allows its users to compare and book airport car parking from within its app environment, but with a few twists. Firstly, the Airport Parking app guarantees a parking spot upon booking. This means no last-minute dashes across car parks just before your flight is scheduled to depart! Secondly, the app allows its users to pay a deposit and receive an electronic coupon using its interface. The coupon comes in the form of a barcode that is stored in the app that can be presented upon arrival at the car park as proof of booking.
Finally, the Airport Parking app allows its users to call both the car park operator and an airport parking shuttle from within the app, which means no more remembering phone numbers! The appâ??s prices are also often a lot less than what you would pay over the counter at a car park, saving you money before you head out on your holiday.
Take Me To My Car
We all know that airport car parks can stretch for miles and can be a pain to find your car in, especially after having left it in the same spot for days or weeks. Take Me To My Car alleviates this problem by remembering where you left your car, and directing you to it using its inbuilt mapping function. The app is free and for most users its functionality would be sufficient, but for those looking to store multiple car parking locations, take notes and track parking time, there is a paid app available.
Airport parking is an unnecessary hassle that no traveller should have to worry about while also juggling flights, baggage and accommodation. However, these iPhone apps come to the rescue to make holidays a lot less stressful!
Richard Collins is an avid tech-blogger who often shares his experiences with the latest electronic gadgets launched in the market. He runs a consultancy that renders Secure airport parking services in Melbourne.
When it comes to all things ghosts, spirits, and other paranormal things, â??who ya gonna call? Ghostbusters!â?
Have you ever wondered about the tools they used to fight the ghosts? In the 1984 Movie Ghostbusters, they had a variety of weapons and equipment with which to try and capture ghosts and spirits, which included the following:
P.K.E. (Psychokinetic Energy) Meter – The Ghostbusters used thisto track the ghosts. This meter consisted of a small screen mounted on a handle with sensor â??wingsâ?? protruding from the sides. As one neared the source of the energy, the â??wingsâ?? would flap and the device would buzz.
Proton Pack and Proton Gun – This was the primary device that the Ghostbusters used to capture ghosts. The proton pack is a backpack sized particle accelerator that shoots a stream of positively charged ions out of the connected proton gun. This counters the ghostsâ?? negative energy, trapping them in place.
Once the ghosts lost enough of their energy from being shot by the proton gun, then it was time for the Ghost Trap, a sealed container to hold the ghosts for transport to the containment unit, also known as the storage facility. This facility is a large laser confinement grid that holds and restrains all the entities the Ghostbusters catch.
Today’s True Life Ghostbusters
These days, however, modern ghostbusters might be seen also carrying around a smartphone. With the invention of these ghost busting apps, anyone can try their hand at ghost hunting. While messing with the supernatural is a dangerous activity not recommended, these apps are some of many that have flooded the market in recent years.
There are many things we do not understand today.  Imagine several hundred years ago, if a television were seen by people of that time they would have assumed all sorts of supernatural activity was taking place. In reality, there are simply scientific discoveries unknown to them that we know of today.  In all likelyhood, these strange things people hear of, and sometimes exaggerate, are merely the unknown we have yet to discover, and manage to scare ourselves to death with – so to speak.
These apps or their descendants might be used one day to explain all sorts of things many today see as paranormal. Check them out with a scientific eye.
EVP Analyzer App – This records sounds that some believe to be voices from the beyond
Ghost Radar will scan your surroundings to establish a baseline of background ambient noise, vibrations, and other factors. Then using your phoneâ??s capabilities like GPS or FM receiver, it waits for something to alter that baseline. If something is found, it communicates by choosing words from a database of 2,100 random words and those will display on your screen.
Not necessarily an app, but the technology is certainly useful; the ITC (Instrumental Trans Communication) Digital Dowsing, LLC reads the environment and attempts communication with spirits from other dimensions using random generators to create speech fragments.
Geo Phone 1.0 By Joshua Waller, available for Apple devices, is a good complement to recorders and cameras. It picks up ground vibrations using an accelerometer, so if anything happens to cause your phone to shake, it will register it.
Paranormal Recorder. Recordings are triggered by unusual readings from EMF waves.
Some of these apps also let you export your data to a computer so you can analyze it.
However you like to hunt for ghosts, try taking some of these apps with you next time to aid in your quest. It will certainly be easier than packing all that heavy equipment.
We all use consumer goods on a daily basis but the only thought we give to them is what they can do for us or what meal we can use them in.
We rarely give a second thought to how they were manufactured or how the product ended up on a supermarket shelf.
Newspapers
Weâ??ve all bought a newspaper but not many of us have seen inside a newspaper plant. There are many processes undertaken in the creation of every newspaper which adorns a newspaper stand. Weâ??ll give a brief snapshot of the process.
Newspaper pages created by editorial team
These pages are sent in digital form to the newspaper plant
Pages are sent straight to plate or even direct to cylinder in modern applications
Plates are fixed onto newspaper printing machine
Machine is run at speeds of up to 80,000 copies per hour to produce the finished paper
Papers sent on conveyors to distribution department
Papers are packaged and distributed across the UK via the delivery network
Conveyor systems are used extensively in the newspaper industry to get the papers from production to delivery departments. Conveyors are also however used extensively in the production of food.
Powder handling
Many factories produce products which cannot be transported by standard conveyor systems. These products require a specialist solution so they can be transported from one location to another. Bulk materials handling products are designed to transport powders, granules, flakes or pellets between one part of the factory to another by means of ingenious methods. Some of these systems include:
Screw conveyors â?? These conveyors use either a U-trough of tubular screw configuration which when turned by an electric motor transports the powder or other bulk material through a conveyor system. These systems can be fully contained so meet standards set out by the food industry and although they may not be able to transport products extremely quickly they are an excellent way of transporting processed goods.
Chain conveyors â?? These types of conveyors are used for the movement of bulk materials through a process controlled system. The design of the chain and discharge system will vary depending on the type of goods to be moved but these can be adapted to meet a customerâ??s exacting requirements.
Bulk bag filling â?? Many industrial sites store the produce they manufacture in bulk bags. These bulk bags are fitted with or without liners and are an excellent way to store high quantities of product. The filling systems are compact and dust-free and completely automated so the exact amount of product is filled into a single bulk bag.
Erin Sharpe loves to find out how goods find their way to our plates. She wrote this article on newspaper delivery and powdered goods delivery on behalf of www.guttridge.co.uk.
Image from: David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
These days, however, modern ghostbusters might be seen also carrying around a smartphone. With the invention of these ghost busting apps, anyone can try their hand at ghost hunting. While messing with the supernatural is a dangerous activity not recommended, these apps are some of many that have flooded the market in recent years.
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