Yearly Archives: 2012
There are many weird sayings that we use every single day to describe how we feel, what we are doing, and what we think of other people and situations. Where do these sayings come from?
Moreover, did they originate from anything close to what we use them for now? Following are 9 sayings that are commonly used, and an explanation as to where they started.
1. Mad As a Hatter
This is a widely known saying. Most of us think of Alice in Wonderland when we hear it, but in actuality, this term came about from the 18th and 19th centuries and not the movie. During those periods in time, hat makers used felt that contained mercury, and inhaling mercury vapor has the potential to cause mental illness like dementia. The phrase â??Mad as a Hatterâ? was quickly adopted to describe someone who had gone insane.
 2. Learn the Ropes
This is a saying that we use when we are talking about ourselves, or someone else, learning something new. It is often used during the first days of work, and rightfully so! The saying originated from ship-life when a new person on deck had to learn how to climb the ropes, tie knots, and figure out which rope manipulated the sails correctly. In order for the ship to run smoothly, they literally had to learn the ropes.
3. Let The Cat Out of The Bag
Most of us use this term when a secret gets out accidentally, but when you stop to think about it, letting a cat out of a bag has nothing to do with secrets! In fact, it may have nothing to do with anything! The saying is thought to originate from a time when pigs were sold in sacks (yes, there was such a time). A dishonest seller would switch the pig for a cat at the last minute. When the purchaser got home, and let the cat out of the bag, he quickly realized he had been duped. However, the chances of someone mistaking a catâ??s weight, sound, and form for a pig are mighty unlikely. It turns out this saying may just be said because it is fun to say and caught on as a common saying.
4. Put a Sock in It
This expression is used when we want someone to shut up and stop talking. Older people are more inclined to say it, but it is making its way down the generation pole and younger people use the expression as well. The origin of this saying goes back to the old days when sound reproduction instruments, like the gramophone, had no volume control. Often times the sound was so loud that it was unbearable. Therefore, people literally put a sock into the place where the noise came from to reduce the volume.
5. Peeping Tom
We all know what a peeping Tom is! He is the guy that sits in the tree outside of your window with popcorn and binoculars. The accepted origin of the saying has a similar tone, although a little more innocent. It is said that Lady Godiva was riding her horse nude to convince her husband to lower taxes, and a man named Tom ignored her husbandâ??s request not to look at her as she rode. Some say he went blind and some say he was put to death.
6. Beat Around The Bush
When we are reluctant to say something or ask something, we can beat around the bush. However, the origin of this saying really has nothing to do with speaking, and everything to do with just â?? well, beating bushes. Hunters would literally beat around a bush with something hard to drive prey out so that they did not have to go in after the prey, while other hunters (who did not beat around the bush) wasted no time and just went straight in to find the prey.
7. A Long Shot
When betting, a long shot usually pays more. This is because it has less of a chance of winning. The saying originated from the past when guns were not very accurate at a long-range, which meant that a long shot only had a small chance of hitting a desired target.
8. Show Your True Colors
This saying is used to encourage people to be themselves. The saying originates from the days when pirate ships pretended to be a safe and friendly ship by displaying a false flag. Once the victim ship came close, the pirate ship would display their true colors and escape would be too late.
9. Knock on Wood
Almost everyone will knock on wood when they say something they do not want to jinx. There are many theories as to how this came about. One is that people would go into the forest and knock on wood to hide secrets from any listeners, but this doesnâ??t fit into the reasoning we give it today. Another, more fitting explanation, is that people use to believe that good spirits lived in the trees and knocking on wood would encourage them to answer a personâ??s request.
As you can see from the examples above, most sayings actually have a real origin. They stuck, most likely, because they are fun to say and make sense in our mind when we say them. And they will surely be around for a long time to come.
Photo Credit
When Bellaisa is not learning about weird sayings, she is a freelance writer and the main writer behind a blog for women.
Eric McArther’s Mysterious Diary Entries
May 1st (2003) – Mysterious Diary entry 1
I’ve never written a diary before and I only intend to write this diary for one year, as the novelty of writing a diary for longer than this will no doubt wear off.
“Why bother then?'” you may ask. Well, I can’t think of anything else to do. So perhaps this is my only reason. A very weak reason, I’ll give you that, but a reason all the same.
Today I finished lunch and found myself staring unintentionally at an ant. The ant seemed to have a purpose, as no doubt it was after the few crumbs that were laying around. However, I couldn’t figure out why it milled around in circles so much. For such an efficient little creature it did beat about the bush somewhat. Why not approach the crumb in a straight line?
I searched for a magnifying glass but could not find one. Indeed I don’t think I ever owned one, so the effort was fruitless. So I used the base of a glass to examine the little creature close up.
From that moment I felt a little saddened as the ant that appeared so curious to me suddenly became monstrous, with antennas and ugly moving parts. I dropped the glass, which smashed, and by the time I had cleared it up the ant had moved on, going about its business elsewhere.
May 2nd – Mysterious Diary entry 2
Everything in the supermarket is sealed in plastic. Quite depressing seeming that I have arthritis and can’t even hold scissors without looking like a drunk surgeon.
Old age does comes with some perks though, although none seem to come to mind.
I found myself gazing at a corner today and wondering if a corner was in fact a real thing or an imagined thing. After all, a corner is not something you can pick up or see, it’s the space created by other things. However, after sitting there staring at the corner for what seemed like an age, I then placed an empty vase in the corner, if there is such a thing as a corner, to break my obsession with it.
It is Tuesday today, so I am due for a visit by Mr. Edminton tomorrow. I thought about hiding when the door bell rings, but out of respect for him I don’t think I could do that.
I saw a badger today. I don’t think it saw me though, as I was on the bus.
May 3rd – Mysterious Diary entry 3
Of course, today is Wednesday, so I was visited by Mr. Edminton as per usual. He is an ex-headmaster and is about 10 years younger than me, although he looks and moves around as if he’s 100 years old. He has been visiting me for the last 8 or so months, always on Wednesdays, always between 11:00 and 1:00.
He seems to have latched on to me as a kind of imagined friend. He comes in, always bringing tea bags or bags of peanuts and sits down on the sofa staring blankly ahead, not really noticing me at all.
I met him near the newsagents after he’d been bitten by a small dog. I helped him as much as I could to walk him to the nearest clinic and from that moment on he has acted as if I’d saved his life. I think it’s just an excuse to make believe that he has a close friend. I’m happy to go along with this act of course, as I think that he is lonelier than me. I’ve never asked his first name and probably never will as that would seem very odd to the arrangement.
It is almost like waiting for a train sitting there with him. We drink tea, nibble on a few peanuts, sit through some awkward silent moments and then say our goodbyes as if we had had a really great time. Neither one of us feels comforted or happier of course but that’s the act and we both perform this act every Wednesday like clockwork.
I still value this dressed up, forced friendship though, as I know that if I had to be taken to hospital or had an emergency he would be there. In fact, he would be the only one there. I like Mr. Edminton, even though we have nothing in common and probably never will.
May 4th – Mysterious Diary entry 4
The lady at number 15 whose name I think is Sarah told me that the birds were happy and chirping this morning, so I should not look so glum on my short walks to the newsagents.
This stopped me in my tracks, as I wondered how this lady knew that the birds were happy. They could be saying anything! Dolphins look like they are smiling to humans, even if they are caught up in a net.
By the time I had collected my thoughts, after staring at the pavement for what must have been a good few minutes, she had gone indoors and bolted the door shut behind her.
People are always saying that I look miserable. In fact, I heard one person say ‘He looks miserable’.
I’m just acting naturally instead of going around like a demented clown with a false smile. Don’t people know that forced smiles are easy to spot? Only the mouth moves and not the hundreds of tiny muscles in the face and around the eyes. The men look like Punch and the women look like Judy coming toward me on the footpath every morning. I find it quite disturbing. Will it ever end?
May 5th – Mysterious Diary entry 5
I was most annoyed today as a security light came on just as I was walking past Abe’s Scrapyard, which startled me and made me drop the loose change I was carrying in my hand.
The coins rolled all over the place in all directions, so I had to bend over about seven times before the security dog spotted me and barked through the fence at me to boot.
This has led to me laying down with a bag of frozen peas on my lower back which now aches every time I move.
When you are lying on your back and want to keep your back straight there isn’t a lot you can do as even reading a book is impossible because you might strain your neck. So, I counted all the round objects in my bedroom to pass the time.
I got up to counting some 30+ objects before I nodded off and dreamt about Kiwi fruits going up and down an escalator.
May 6th – Mysterious Diary entry 6
I was thinking about Mr. Edminton today. Back to when our peculiar friendship was tested to the hilt and nearly broke.
It was on one of Mr. Edminton’s visits about 4 months ago. I can tell that although his memory is going he prides himself on neatness and order. In fact, I saw him looking at a set of spoons that were laid out on a shelf over the fire once. He even commented on how ordered they looked and continued to stare in awe at them for the entire short visit.
From that day on I tried to arrange other objects neatly, which pleased Mr. Edminton I suspect, as he would let out a barely audible ‘Mmm’ when they caught his eye.
However, on that fateful day Mr. Edminton came around and we sat drinking tea and eating nuts, being careful not to make any nut crunching sounds in the awkward silence, when I noticed that he had an odd sock on.
The sock was dark grey and not black. This puzzled me and I sat pondering on this odd mismatch until I noticed that Mr. Edminton had been watching me watching him.
Bearing in mind that he had never made eye contact with me until that moment and never since then, it was a rather awkward moment in which I stopped breathing for a few seconds. He then made his way out and didn’t return for another 3 weeks.
On his eventual return he bought around a bag of mixed nuts, which was his way of a peace offering and to say that I was forgiven. Mixed nuts were his form of a rare treat I’d imagine.
Nothing much went on today, apart from next door cutting their square patch of lawn that looks like a postage stamp with a plastic tacky bird bath in the centre, which no birds visit, as they have a cat called ‘Captain Incredible’ which sleeps most of the day as far as I can see, right next to the plastic eye-sore.
May 6th – Mysterious Diary entry 7
I felt a rather interesting texture today. I have a hobby for feeling textures. I find quite a treasure trove in the local area, but I had never found this one before . . .
The new texture was in the form of ‘astroturf’ and what a remarkable texture that is. I took my shoes and socks off and glided over it for quite a while.
That was until some football players started showing up and asking me what the heck I was doing. I made an excuse of course as I was having fun. I said that the astroturf had come loose and I was flattening it down.
This worked for a few minutes until one of the players who lived just up the road from me pointed out that he had seen me doing exactly the same thing on a new mini-roundabout centre hump.
People are too busy with their gadgets and gizmos in life these days to be even remotely interested in textures and colours and even nature.
I suspect that if a tree fell down upon them when they were messing around with the latest gadget it might be the first tree that they had ever really noticed.
Today is a little foggy, but I’m sure I saw ‘Captain Incredible’ taking liberties on my garden path. I shall have to clean it up immediately, although I don’t have a mop.
Mops remind me of people in the dark, with long dreadlocked hair. I don’t like it at all.
Tomorrow I will investigate the golf ball that has mysteriously appeared on my lawn. I have been watching to see if anyone will claim it through a gap in the curtains. The question is, should I pick up the golf ball or not?
By the late Erik McArther
It’s undeniable that smartphones have brought about a revolution. With these devices, you can do anything from finding your direction when you are lost to calculating the amount of calories in the sandwich you are just about to bite into.
So widespread is the smartphone revolution that employers are even now allowing employees to bring them to the office, and work from them.
With such a powerful device, the ability to make voice calls easily becomes one of the most trivial functionalities. You can do almost everything with it, yes, even banking. For those of you who would just love the convenience of doing all your banking transactions in the comfort of your living room couch, smartphones are the answer. This article is dedicated to those smartphones, and the apps that make it all possible.
Pageonce
Available to both Android phones and iPhones, this app is great for those who want to keep track of many bank accounts at the same time. It allows you to access all your accounts and organize them, including your credit card expenses.
It is more than a banking app too; it allows you to keep records of bills and important dates thus ensuring you are always on time with payments. It also allows you to keep up track of your investments and even your frequent flier miles.
If you ever need to work from your computer instead, the app supports it. You can use it as a web application on your PC.
PayPal
This is the app version of PayPal, with the same functionalities, allowing you to do online payments and the like. However, this app has an extra feature that makes it stand out from your traditional PayPal and this is â??Bumpâ?. This functionality is accessible when both you and the other party have the application. It facilitates easy transfer of cash from one smartphone to another, and is great for small business owners who major on small, quick transactions.
The app also helps you manage your finances by tracking your budget and reminding you when it is time to pay your bills.
Wallet applications
The Google Wallet app has come into our world and is based on a principle that allows your phone to act as a credit card. It works by taking advantage of points where there are near fields of communication (NFCs). You simply wave your phone close to such a terminal or pass it through it and the payment is initiated immediately.
You can store your coupons and loyalty points on this wallet too and they will be taken into consideration while your payment is being made.
The downside with the Google wallet is that it only works with particular Citibank credit cards, which means you either have to abandon the one you have and apply for one there, or stock up on Google funds by loading your prepaid fund.
Visa have also created their own wallet, which is to be unveiled soon. The wallet promises to be a bit more advanced, allowing you to store all your payment information on it and quickly choose the credit card you would like to use to make a payment just before it is made.
The company further claims that you will be able to store information pertaining to a third party and use it, just as you would with PayPal, and that person-to-person transactions will be supported.
While all this is yet to be seen, it is clear that the future is with wallet applications and though they are basically being used for payments only at the moment, technology is sure to advance.
USAA mobile banking
Having always been ahead in terms of technology, it is no wonder that the USAA bank already has its own mobile banking application, and a pretty good one at that. The app allows you to access your USAA account through it quite easily and do your transactions without having to visit the bank. It allows you to trade in your investment accounts and even make mobile deposits.
Mobile apps are the new convenient way to access your bank accounts and they do all your banking transactions hassle free. As long as you have a secure network, you can even forget completely about having to visit your bank ever again!
Nick Thomas is a finance expert and consultant. He has written many articles regarding personal finance for  DebtConsolidation.com.au and recommends using online calculators to find interest and EMIs
The search for the hardest metals and the strongest alloys has always been a part of the metal industry. Finding something that can beat everything before it has been the constant search for human industrial endeavours and this search for what is the toughest metal in the world is something that has driven research into technology as far as it has.
The results mainly depend on the kind of metal or alloy properties you are looking for. As a result, you will find a certain kind of metal being deemed as the strongest in certain conditions, while another gets the vote in other situations. Alloys are always stronger than pure metals because alloys are the result of years of experimentation, looking for a particular combination that makes the metal stronger and tougher than it is in its pure format.
Factors of Measurement
Rating of metals and the process of finding the toughest metal on the planet isnâ??t just about hardness or strength on one condition, it is based on several different situations and different pressures which the metal is placed under. These situations and experiences help determine the standards and most of them are based on the yield strength of the metal.
The yield strength is nothing but the degree to which you can apply pressure onto a metal before itâ??s molecular structure breaks. When the molecular structure of a body is intact, it will retain its shape. Under pressure, these molecules are forced to move out of their regular structure but due to a certain degree of strength and elasticity, they donâ??t break or deform.
After the threshold has been reached, the metal will remain bent permanently and will not be able to regain the kind of strength it had earlier. Tensile strength is the other factor that is used to judge how strong a metal is. This is basically a measure of the amount of pulling force that can be applied to a body without breaking it.
Hereâ??s a list of some metals that are, generally, considered to be amongst the toughest metals on the planet.
Tungsten Carbide
According to many research institutes, Tungsten Carbide is the strongest metal alloy on the planet. Normally used in jewellery or military equipment, Tungsten Carbide is not used very widely and as a result, isnâ??t as popular as some of the other metals on this list. However, it is rated to be the hardest metal in a particular range of standard test conditions, which is good enough for it to get onto this list.
Carbon Steel
Steel is already an alloy while carbon steel is a lot harder and is probably the hardest metal on the planet â?? as hard as Tungsten Carbide even. The reason for Tungsten Carbide being less popular and carbon steel being more popular has more to do with the usage. Carbon steel is used all over the world, in a variety of heavy duty jobs that lend it more credibility in terms of being a strong or tough metal and, maybe, better than all else.
Hardened Steel
Another form of treated steel alloy that allows the metal to become harder than its normal rating, hardened steel is all about using different temperature settings on regular steel and â??temperingâ? it. This creates a more flexible form of steel, one that can even bend without breaking.
The Also-Ranâ??s
Rating of metals is used to determine the average strength or weakness of metals and the Mohs scale is considered as the global standards for these ratings. Iron pyrite comes in at about 6.5 on the measurement scale while Titanium is about 6. Rhodium and Chromium are also placed at 6 while Palladium is about a 4.75 on the scale.
Each metal has its own rating in terms of yield and tensile strength and that will also depend on the quality of creating that alloy. In the end, it all comes down to how well we combine these metals and their alloys and that has the final say in what will end up being the strongest or toughest metal of them all.
George Staton â?? author
George has spent over 30-years working various jobs in the metal industry, working everything from fabrication to mining ore. He has put all his experience to good use today, working as a consultant for many firms like world leaders Midway Metals. He has also been instrumental in the ongoing research going on to find out what is the toughest metal in the world.
Image courtesy of arvidr, Flickr.
As mobile devices became more and more capable of producing high resolution graphics and running memory intensive applications, developers quickly turned their attention to mobile gaming.
Old casual, favourite games like Snake were quickly replaced by games that had better graphics, more depth and unique gameplay. Casual games became more and more popular, as users could enjoy loading up the app and having a quick game or two. However, although they do have mass appeal, casual games aren’t necessarily just for casual gamers. Even the most seasoned video game fanatics will find plenty of depth, playability and immersion from the well-designed and developed casual games available on the Android and iOS markets. 2012 has already been a successful year for best-selling casual game apps, and it is expected that there is much more to come before the year end.
Flick Kick Football Kickoff
Euro 2012 fever made Flick Kick Football Kickoff a surprising smash-hit when it was re-released early in the summer as a free download. Mimicking the style of 1960s football and taking inspiration from Subbuteo, players must score points by flicking their fingers across the screen to aim at the goal. It’s a simple premise and, unlike other football games, it appealed to a much wider market as it incorporated the popularity of physics games. Flick Kick has had over 500,000 downloads on the Android market and although it is free, users can make in-app purchases for new teams.
Angry Birds Space
The Godfather of casual gaming, the Angry Birds behemoth released its latest instalment in 2012 which saw the popular characters go into space. The series obviously still has a very active fanbase, as the app boasts over 10 million downloads on the Android market. Even though many other games have mimicked its gameplay since its first release, Angry Birds still stands out as one of the premium physics games on the market, and its enduring simplicity appeals to all users.
Song Pop
Like Draw Something, Song Pop has invigorated multiplayer casual gaming. The song quiz pits two players against each other as they must guess what song is playing in the quickest time possible. Song Pop has had over 1 million downloads on the Android store and, although free, users can buy coins from the in-game store to spend on new song packs. Although the app is designed for competitive play, users can play at their own convenience and can take their turn whenever they feel like it (although the other player can cancel the game if they are taking too long). With a wide variety of popular songs and many genres to choose from, players don’t have to be music experts to find something to enjoy from this best-selling game.
Super Stickman Golf
Fun and challenging, Super Stickman Golf is another casual game that mixes the mass appeal of physics and puzzle games with sports. Player’s must swipe the screen with a careful touch to choose the right trajectory for the winning hole. With unique presentation and wacky levels, Super Stickman is much more than a normal golf game. Players can load up the app to play a few quick games, but they may be sucked in by the addictiveness of the gameplay. The game has been released for more than a year, but its popularity has gradually increased and it now sits with the top games on the gaming charts.
Where’s My Water?
This Disney game has been a surprising smash-hit for both the Android and iOS market. Players must guide, bounce and divert water across tricky levels to clean plates at the end. A physics puzzler with over 300 levels full of obstacles and difficult paths, many thought that this was a game designed by children. However, it has shown enduring appeal to all gamers as it currently boasts over 10 million downloads. Even in a crowded app market full of other puzzle and physics games, the slick design and unique gameplay of Where’s My Water sets it apart from other titles.
This article is brought to you by Feelgood Games, the online games specialists.
Amongst the various online offerings you might encounter on the web, like ads to click here for Mustang parts and articles on CJ Pony Mustang seats, you might have noticed that this is the 100 year anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.
If you were to try and think of a good business decision, then you would probably not decide on building a replica of the Titanic. After all, if anything is a byword for hubris, design flaws and complete and utter disaster, it is that famous ship. With this year being the centenary of its sinking, surely it is the very worst time to even consider such a thing, with its history even fresher in the mind? Not so, according to billionaire Australian business man Clive Palmer.
The Titanic II
With a fortune made from mining and other national resources, Palmer also has tourism assets such as a luxury resort. In order to increase these holdings he announced in April that he intended to build a replica of the Titanic.
Palmerâ??s plan schedules construction to start in 2013, with the maiden voyage of the Titanic II to take place in 2016. A company, Blue Star Line Ltd, has already been formed, and Chinaâ??s CSC Jinling Shipyard will be building the ship.
While the design will be close to the original, they have made some alterations to allow for more efficiency and maneuverability. Like the original, he intends the Titanic II to feature the very best in luxury and comfort. With over 1500 deaths when the original sank, it is unsurprising that safety is a paramount concern with the Titanic II.
Previous Projects
This is not the first time such a replica has been proposed. Popular Mechanics suggested the required changes in 1998, concluding with changes that would be hidden below the waterline a safe replica would be feasible albeit at a cost of twice what it takes to build a cruise ship today.
In 2000 a South African businessman Sarel Gous proposed building a replica with a projected cost of £500 million. Like with the Palmer plan, as exact a replica as possible was intended, with, of course, sufficient lifeboats. In November of the same year he announced the project would go ahead, but in 2006 it was scrapped. Notably, the last survivor of the sinking Millvina Dean stated she was not in favor of the plan. Since her death in 2009 there are no living survivors to give their views on Palmerâ??s replica.
Whether or not the project will come to fruition remains to be seen, but there is no doubt many will wonder if it is tempting fate to seek to rebuild the iconic ship.
This guest post written by Mary who writes on all things internet, from tech news to SEO strategies, such as click here for Mustang parts ads.
Online gaming can be a fun pastime and even sometimes a great way to make a little bit of money on the side. However, Iâ??ll bet you never thought about the philosophical side of online gaming and what it can teach you about life.
In fact, there are many life lessons that can be learned from online gaming. Here are a few examples of the pearls of wisdom that this activity could impart to you.
- Knowledge is Power
One thing that online gaming will teach you is that the better you know the game, the more successful you will be. This kind of knowledge comes from experience of playing the game and eventually you will be able to understand the strategies and techniques that work.
When you first start out, no matter what kind of online game you are playing, take the time to get to know the game and learn how it works. Donâ??t do anything crazy until you understand your role in the game and how the other players behave. Once you have a better understanding this will give you an advantage.
- Be Patient With Yourself
You can discover a lot about how a person handles anger when you watch them play an online game that they are just learning to play and they make a mistake. Sometimes you will hear them curse, shout or even yell at the computer screen. They might even get so angry and annoyed that they will give up on the game entirely.
This is not the best way to play online games and also not the best way to live your life. Instead, you will need to accept the fact that you will not be an expert at something right away and that it will take you a while to learn it. You will make many mistakes along the way, so go easy on yourself and be patient.
- People Are Very Predictable, So Try Not to Be
In any competitive online game, from first person shooters to card games to strategy games, you will start to notice that many of the other people you are playing with will follow the same pattern every time. People tend to be very predictable in their behaviours and once you have been playing for a while you will almost be able to guess exactly how they will act.
When you are doing something in the real world, especially something competitive, you can apply this same lesson. Getting to know what others do will help you to anticipate their actions and adjust your strategy to beat them. When you do the unexpected, you will have the advantage which will allow you to surpass everyone else.
- Youâ??re Only as Good as Your Last Success
Every time you start a new game online, the slate is wiped clean and you have just as much chance of winning as anyone else involved. Just because you won the last five games doesnâ??t guarantee that you will win the next one. Everything comes down to how well you play in that particular situation, plus a little bit of luck and the specific circumstances you find yourself in. You must always keep playing at your best in order to win again and again.
This lesson applies to life achievements as well. Many times you will see people resting on their laurels after achieving something great, because they think it means that they can then relax for the rest of their lives and never try hard again. However, they quickly fade into obscurity unless they continue to grow, improve and challenge themselves with the next achievement.
- Sometimes Things Are Just Out of Your Control
Should you get upset about this? No! Learn from what happened and take it in stride because in games as well as in life, you canâ??t always be the winner all the time.You can do your very best at playing an online game, putting forth your best strategy, playing as hard as you can and you still lose.
There will come many times in your life that you will be defeated and things will not turn out the way you want them to. Often this is due to forces which are well beyond your control. If you can accept this and roll with the punches, you will be much happier and the loss will not affect you nearly as much.
You probably didnâ??t think that you could learn so much about life from simply playing an online game, but there are a lot of deep thoughts which can be applied to this pastime! These are just a few of the philosophical life lessons that online gaming can teach you and how you can apply them to your life.
When you start playing poker for free, or any other online game, here are some of the deep life lessons which might be revealed to you.
Adrenaline junkies can easily be accommodated in the Bahamas. Get your fix on a shark dive.
Whether you choose a cage dive with tiger sharks or to watch a feeding with Caribbean reef, bull, and nurse sharks, you are guaranteed excitement, not to mention fantastic photographic opportunities.
The name Bahamas is derived from the Spanish words for shallow seas, baha mar. Anyone who has had the pleasure of cruising in the Bahamas knows that navigating the shallows can be as stressful as a minefield. The archipelago is comprised of about 700 islands and cays scattered along 500 miles of limestone platforms called the Great and Little Bahama Banks, divided by deep channels. This combination of deepwater, shallows, and mangroves, which are perfect nurseries, plus itâ??s proximity to the Gulf Stream and the Tongue of the Ocean makes the Bahamas host to a rich and diversified marine life.
In my four years spent as a cook on a dive boat in the Bahamas, I got to dive with a great number of sharks. In fact, my first dive in the Bahamas was a shark dive. I had started my open water certification in the Pacific Northwest and arrived in Miami Beach ready to finish the course in warm water. The night before boarding the dive boat, I got food poisoning at a Cuban restaurant. So I spent the first two days on the Cay Sal Bank suffering from severe digestive distress. I finally felt well enough to get in the water just in time to sign waivers for a shark feeding dive. There I was, doing fin pivots and mask clearing with sharks and barracuda swirling around the top of the blue hole. Talk about trial by fire. I never would have guessed that a few years later, Iâ??d be helping lead shark feedings, or shooting video of the passengers enjoying their first shark experience.
Tiger Beach
We first encountered the tiger sharks of the Little Bahama Bank while waiting for a pod of dolphins to show up. We once even put a group of Japanese swimmers in the water with a tiger thinking we had a pod of dolphins – oops! It turns out there are a lot of tigers in the area. Though they are known as man eaters and omnivores, tiger sharks in the Atlantic seem to be less aggressive than those found in the Pacific. Tiger Beach was formerly known as the Dry Bar but obviously deserves itâ??s newer name! Dive operations out of Grand Bahama, and liveaboard dive boats offer shark encounters at Tiger Beach both as cage dives, and free swimming.
Hammerheads
I spent a week at Riding Rock Inn on San Salvador and dove with small schools of scalloped hammerheads every day. These creatures are strange looking, almost alien, but so beautiful. Iâ??d still love to see the massive schools of hammerheads off Costa Rica or in the Galapagos, but the experience at Riding Rock was a fraction of the price and diving on a small boat with just a few people made it very intimate and enjoyable.
New Providence Sharks
Several dive operations including Stuart Coveâ??s, Nassau Scuba Center, and Dive Dive Dive, all offer shark feeding dives at sites called the Runway, Shark Arena and Shark Buoy. Divers are positioned and then a designated shark feeder, wearing either a full suit of chainmail, or a long chainmail glove, will feed twenty or more Caribbean Reef sharks directly in front of the divers so they can get great photos. Some places offer a short course preparing divers to assist in the feeding. At Shark Buoy, a spot Iâ??ve yet to visit, about an hour away from New Providence, divers get close to a large school of Silky sharks.
Bethany White is a travel fanatic and wandering writer who is loves to dive and see the ocean as much as possible. She recently took some time off to stay at several island resorts and is compiling a book that details the best vacation spots around.
Photo Credit:Â guitarfish
The ZX Spectrum was first introduced to the world in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd. It was the brainchild of Sir Clive Sinclair; an English entrepreneur and inventor whom was knighted for his services to the British Industry.
The ZX Spectrum (pronounced “Zed-Ex”) was just as popular with home computer users in the UK, as the Commodore 64 was in the USA.
Although the ZX Spectrum was not spectacular, it did create a boom in companies producing software and hardware for the machine. BBC even attributes a technological revolution due to the ZX Spectrum.
Photo by Quenerap?
The creation of the ZX Spectrum was spurred by tough competition. The BBC Microâ? was far superior to the previous ZX81. It had color, sound, and a good keyboard. BBC Micro was retailing at £399, and Sinclair knew he could dominate the market if his new computer was priced at less than £200. By cutting back and using ZX81’s previous technology Sinclair would be able to hit that price margin. Plans for the Spectrum Super BASIC programming language were cut and instead focus went into improving the old ZX BASIC. By making the keys rubber the Spectrum ZX was able to achieve a hi-end look like nothing ever before.
Sinclair was successful in his new creation released in April 1982. The ZX Spectrum came in two forms. The 16k model which sold at £125, and the 48k model retailing at £175. Criticism came in about the keyboard, the processing speed, and the programming system. This was all irrelevant as the market was still fresh and the audience didn’t really have any expectiations of computers. The ZX Spectrum made average users interested in technology, and not just the computer hobbyists. In short this product was a success. Within four months, ZX Spectrum orders were backlogged at a whopping 40,000 angry customers.
ZX Spectrum+
Shortly after the ZX Spectrum was released, the Commodore 64 followed. It was very advanced; it had 64K of memory, 16 colors, a built in sound chip, and a 40 column screen. The Commodore 64 retailed at £350 in Britain. Meanwhile the software market was growing exponentially for the ZX Spectrum, making the demand for an even better ZX model imminent.
The ZX Spectrum+ was released in October 1984. It featured 48K of RAM and a reset button. Technically it was identical to the previous ZX Spectrum 48K. The system boards were similar, so similar in fact that you could move the ZX Spectrum board into the new Spectrum+ case without any problems. There was only one real benefit in the Spectrum+; it didn’t have rubber keys which turned off previous users. This new model retailed for £179.95. Although the Spectrum+ outsold the previous ZX Spectrum 2:1, it was a failure. Some retailers such as Boots reported a failure rate of 30% compared with 5-6% for the older model.
The Spectrum 128
First launched in Spain in 1985 this new version was hardly any different than the Spectrum+; other than the new large and very hot heat sink on the right hand side. Some new features included a three-channel audio chip, MIDI compatibility, an RS-232 serial port, an RGB monitor port, and a new improved BASIC editor. The release of the Spectrum 128 was held off in the UK due to many unsold Spectrum+ models. When the Spectrum 128 finally reached Britain in February 1986, it was too late. Christmas season was over and no one was interested in the new model, which retailed at £179.95. There were also some problems with the Spectrum software and it’s peripherals. Sinclair, still having trouble with their supply was taken over by Amstrad a few months later and the Spectrum 128 was silently discontinued.
Photo by ccwoodcock
Spectrum +2 Models
Shortly after purchasing the Spectrum and Sinclair brand in 1986, Amstrad came out with the Spectrum +2. It featured a new spring loaded keyboard, a built-in tape recorder, and twin joystick ports. The keyboard no longer included BASIC keyword markings found in earlier Spectrums. Amstrad built the new models in Taiwan greatly increasing quality control over the old models. Amstrad also put a new spin on the sales of the Spectrum +2 models, advertising the computer as nothing more than a gaming machine. They were often sold in packages such as “James Bond 007 Action Pack” that came with games and light guns. This was a step from using computers for conventional work, and hobby reasons, to main stream gaming. The Spectrum +2 sold very well for £139-149 due to dropped production costs.
Spectrum +3
Amstrad’s final Sinclair machine was launched in 1987. It included a floppy disk drive, a new ROM, and a parallel printer port. The motherboard had significantly less circuits than any other Spectrum. Like the Spectrum +2, the new model was also sold in gaming bundles that came with guns and games.
The Spectrum +3 experienced many of the shortcomings the Spectrum 128 had. Its new ROMs were incompatible with older Spectrum software. The disk drives were not using the mainstream 3.5inch formats, rather Amstrad’s own 3 inch format, and the machine cost was £250 at it’s release. The Spectrum +3 was an 8-bit machine, while the 16-bit market was taking over.
Spectrum +2A and Spectrum +2B
Amstrad came out with a variant of the Spectrum +3 board in a black version of the Spectrum +2 case. They were a last attempt to capture prospective users to the dying 8-bit machines.
The End of Spectrum
The Spectrum line was discontinued in 1992.
Bonus
If you would like to try out Spectrum ROMs for yourself, you can! There are two options you have. One you could buy a Spectrum machine for $20-$100 on eBay; or you can try out an emulator. You can emulate the Spectrum ROM virtually using this website, or this Windows program.
Article written by Octavian Ristea.
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