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Street Speed Parts Your Mopar's Gotta Have
Like we said, unless you want to continuously see your buddies' taillights, you really need to check into getting some of these street performance parts that we have listed. We took a poll on our Facebook page, asking what people felt were the top street-oriented performance parts that every Mopar should have. If you didn't notice the post, apparently your buddy did, because he knows.
We tried to keep it somewhat general, and didn't really know what to expect, but we were really happy about what we heard. Sure, we had a few answers that got a little off track, but that's bound to happen when you ask a question on the Internet.
Anyway, if you're looking to improve the performance of your street car, check out these reader-suggested must-have parts—in no particular order.
Light Weight, Large Flow
One of the biggest items to get nominated were aluminum heads. Now, we could have limited our response and simply showed you one set of heads and said "there you go." But we didn't think that was kosher—after all, what benefit is that to you. So depending on your combination expectations, here are your choices.
If your combination is a little on the "mild side," you do have a couple of choices.
Edelbrock Performer RPM
Edelbrock's Performer heads are 50-state emissions legal and are designed to fit emissions-related engines. These heads are perfect for street performance muscle cars where seat-of-the-pants performance is needed. These heads give great torque and horsepower up to 6,500 rpm. These are available for both big- and small-block engines.
Approximate cost
small-block: $1,500 pr/big-block the same
Indy Cylinder Head
If your big-block is looking to breathe a little better than it does with a stock cast-iron heads, the Indy 440-H1SRK kit might be what you need. You get everything you need to bolt them on and go. And let's face it, the right head makes power.
If you have a small-block that needs a great set of aluminum heads, the Indy 360-H1-1AS will transform your small-block into a serious street machine and/or a very reliable, very powerful bracket engine. Since 400-inch small-blocks are becoming common, their 360-1 rectangular port head was created to fill the bill perfectly.
Approximate cost
Small-block: $2,095
Big-block: $2,384 (but you also get pushrods, and oiling kit, head bolts, and the required valley plate).
If you want your big-block aluminum heads to resemble stock (that way you can paint them so no one knows), then the 440Source Stealth aluminum cylinder head is for you. These heads are capable of an easy 550 horsepower out of the box (when used with their 500-plus-inch stroker kits) and the guys at 440Source tell us that they have the potential to make 650-700-plus horsepower with some port work.
Approximate cost
Only big-block available: $1,000 pr.
Indy Cylinder Head
Get It Handled
It takes more than just horsepower to make a street performer; you need the right suspension parts. It's been proven that tubular upper control arms can aid handling by giving you more caster/camber adjustment, and that's only the tip of the iceberg. You can also do a complete rebuild or upgrade, and you have a couple of options here: You can rebuild what you have, or you can upgrade to a completely modern suspension. You're limited by only your want.
Reilly Motorsports
If you want the latest in a completely redesigned suspension (front or rear), the Reilly Motorsports Alterktion (front), and Street Lynx (rear) suspension kits are for you. The front suspension comes as a street/strip unit, or a street/handling kit. The Alterktion system bolts to factory framerails. The system comes complete from connection to your steering column down to the spindles, and includes a complete 1116-inch sway bar package, custom-valved power steering rack, and hoses that will connect to your factory power steering pump.
By adding the Street-Lynx triangulated four-bar system to the rear, it's possible to drastically improve geometry, traction, and handling, while using a much lighter spring and shock to provide excellent ride quality and wheel control. Their system requires no cutting to weld in a single crossbar between the factory framerails. Coil-overs mounted ahead of the axle eliminate wheelhop normally associated with four-bar systems, and allow stock gas tanks to fit. The lower links bolt into stock leaf spring locations with the included adjustable front mounts, or links can be used in conjunction with standard inboard relocation kits and mounted under the framerails for increased tire clearance.
Approximate Cost
Alterktion: $3,940 - $4,240
Street Lynx: $1,995
If you want to keep you stock-style suspension, but make it perform better than stock, the Hotchkis TVS system might be for you. The Total Vehicle System is the easiest and most effective way to give your Mopar sports car handling. It's engineered as a tuned performance system, and will reduce body roll, dramatically improve handling, and create incredible driver control for a more enjoyable driving experience. Balanced handling is achieved using geometry corrected upper control arms, adjustable strut rods, adjustable steering rods, front and rear sport sway bars, geometry corrected rear leaf springs, and subframe connectors. The Hotchkis TVS works with your stock K-member, preserving the soul of your Mopar.
Approximate cost
$2,592 - $3,336
Performance Suspension Technology
Finally, if you really want to leave your Mopar all stock, but have a decent ride and handling that is geared towards a factory ride, then PST has you covered. Worn steering and suspension components cause "play" in the steering system, resulting in unresponsive handling and wandering on the road. PST's parts are precision engineered for durability that meet or exceeds OE standards, and are backed by their Lifetime Limited Warranty. They've packaged the most commonly needed components into one convenient Standard Front End Kit for the budget-minded customer. Most enthusiasts choose to save time and money by replacing all of the components at once with their Super Front End Kit, instead of dismantling the suspension repeatedly to replace one or two parts at a time.
Each of their kits is available with either OE-style rubber bushings or PST's exclusive Polygraphite bushings. Rubber bushings are best suited for restoration projects where spirited handling isn't a key objective. Polygraphite bushings are the latest in suspension technology, featuring the lubricating qualities of graphite and virtually zero deflection operation for the best in handling and cornering.
Approximate Cost
$389 - $449
Reilly Motorsports
Hotchkis Suspensions
Performance Suspension Technology
Roll and Lift
Comp Cams
It wasn't until just a couple of years ago that you could put a roller cam into a small-block Mopar, and not have to do a lot of machine work. Now, Comp Cams has Retro-Fit Roller Lifters. These new roller lifters are for small-blocks that were originally equipped with flat-tappet camshafts. So, by not having to machine your block and add bushings to the lifter bores, you can save money and still run a "roller."
Approximate cost
lifters: $546 (roller cam extra)
Comp Cams
By adding cubic inches to your engine, you will create more torque, and ultimately more power. Stroker kits are available for every engine imaginable, from 318 all the way up to the big Hemi. If you're building—or thinking about building—a stroker, you can either piecemeal all of the parts and hope you get it right, or you can get a ready-to-go kit for whatever you're building.
Hughes Engines
The guys at Hughes have been delivering and building horsepower for Mopar guys for a very long time, and they know a thing or two about stroker kits. Their kits come with high-quality components, and they have kits for just about any stroker configuration you can think of, be it a small- or big-block Mopar engine.
Approximate cost
$1,500 - $2,500
To help you get just what you need, the guys at 440Source want to be able to talk to you in person and make sure you are getting the correct size kit for your application. They have no online listing, but they've sold thousands of big-block Mopar stroker kits, and planning your build with a tech representative before you start buying things could save you huge hassles later on.
Approximate cost
Call for kits and pricing
Indy Cylinder Head
According to the guys at Indy, no one can put together a finer big- or small-block rotating assembly than they can. Their years of experience and testing allow them to assemble just the right combination of components to generate real horsepower. The quality of the components used in their rotating kits is unsurpassed, assuring you of an engine build that will be done right the first time. Balancing is available on all rotating kits unless noted.
Approximate cost
408 - 655 inches: $1,225 - $5,250
Muscle Motors
The Muscle Motors racing crew start their "base" kit with items like a cast, stroker crankshaft, forged I-beam connecting rods, Hypereutectic pistons, rod and main bearings, and plasma moly piston rings. The rotating assembly is then balanced. This kit is recommended for applications under 500 horsepower. You can build from there, and end up with a killer small-block, or if you're working on a big-block, they have you covered as well.
Approximate cost
small-block big-block: $1199 - $2,199
Hughes Engines
Indy Cylinder Head
Muscle Motors Racing
No one will ever argue the fact that a good flowing exhaust system will make power. Whether you're running an OE-type of restoration, or a performance oriented ride, the exhaust has to be more than an afterthought.
Tube Technologies Inc.
Since 1988 tti has manufactured the highest quality exhaust parts available using state-of-the-art computer controlled machinery. They use only the finest grade of aluminized steel, and their systems are welded by craftsmen with a great deal of experience. They take a great deal of pride in what they build, which is what makes their exhaust products first choice.
Approximate cost
Varies: Contact tti
Accurate Exhaust Products
If you're working on an OE restoration, whether it's a Slant Six or Max Wedge powered ride, you're going to need an exhaust. Luckily for us Mopar guys, Accurate Exhaust Products makes just what's needed. Whether you're working on an A-, B-, or E-Body, a new exhaust is just what your Mopar needs for that Mopar sound. It doesn't matter what your Mopar has for an engine. If it's factory, it needs to be accurate.
Approximate cost
$367 - $1,467
Tube Technologies inc.
Accurate Exhaust Products Ltd
Electronic Squirting
Although EFI is fairly new to the Mopar hobby, great strides have been made to get this new fuel ingestion system in the hands of enthusiasts. Several companies now offer bolt on kits, and you can have your injection in a weekend. If you want to build your own setup, piece meal parts are also available.
Wired Up Six Pack
Approximate cost
Six-Barrel kit: $2,650
Goin' F.A.S.T.
In the past, a carburetor-to-EFI conversion was no picnic. At the very least, you needed a laptop and significant tuning experience. But thanks to FAST engineers utilizing nearly twenty years of experience in fuel injection strategy, those days are over. With the EZ-EFI Self Tuning Fuel Injection System, you get patent-pending EFI technology that does all the work for you. Simply hook it up, answer the basic Setup Wizard questions on the included hand-held display, and the system tunes itself as you drive. As the most popular self tuning EFI system ever, EZ-EFI now has thousands of successful installs, and we're so confident in its performance that it is backed by an unmatched limited lifetime warranty.
Approximate Cost
It's Atomic
According to their website, the Atomic EFI can be installed on Saturday morning, and you'll make the cruise night that evening. Part Number 2900 is the complete "base" kit for anyone planning to convert from a carburetor to Atomic EFI. You get the Throttle Body, Power Module (with Wide Band O2 sensor), Handheld Controller, and the Standard Fuel Kit for up to 525 hp (at the crankshaft).
Approximate cost
Atomic Fuel Injection
Ready-to-Run Fire
If you're looking to improve your engine's performance, Plug-n-play billet distributors are designed to deliver maximum ignition performance and easy installation all at a price that you can afford. Replace your outdated points or electronic distributor with this performance proven distributor, which features the patented Ignitor II electronics and a CNC-machined 6061 T-6 polished billet housing.
Approximate cost
Small-block Billet: $293.44
Big-block billet: $293.44
Firecore50 is best known for their exceptional spark plug wires, but what good are wires without a distributor, so they came up with one of their own. Like all ready-to-run distributors, the benefits of the distributor are: if you're building a restomod, you can clean up the engine bay by not needed the external ignition box and ballast. For you race guys, if you have a mild bracket race car that does not need all the fancy features found in some available ignition systems, The Firecore50 distributor can actually give you a more consistent car.
Approximate cost
Small- or big-block: $195 (with advance) $245 (Ready to run)
Performance Distributors
It's time for you to start driving under the Influence of the D.U.I. (Davis Unified Ignition). Drop in one of their powerful D.U.I. distributors, and you'll feel the difference. Whether you drive a Challenger, Charger, or a Dodge Truck, the D.U.I. will improve the performance of your engine. If you're installing a Mopar Performance crate engine, the D.U.I. is the ideal ignition system for it.
This is a simple drop-in unit with the coil inside the cap and the module inside the distributor. Just connect one 12-volt wire to the distributor and you're ready to run! A tachometer hook-up is also provided. Your engine compartment will look much cleaner as the D.U.I. will eliminate all of the messy wiring that is found on stock Dodge/Chrysler ignition systems.
Approximate cost
Small-block: $309 - $445
Big-block: $309 - $565
MSD's Ready-to-Run Pro-Billet Distributors are the perfect upgrade from breaker points or weak electronic ignitions. These distributors feature a maintenance-free magnetic pickup that accurately triggers the built-in ignition module. This module produces a high-output spark, which improves combustion in the cylinder, resulting in quicker starts, a smooth idle, and great performance. The Ready-to-Run Distributors are a breeze to install. Simply drop it in the engine and connect three wires and you're ready to run to your favorite cruise! The front engine mount models are designed with a special small diameter housing to clear aftermarket heads and valve covers.
Approximate cost
Small-block: $356.95
Big-Block: $379.95
Performance Distributors
Get Blown
There's no doubting the power that a supercharger can add to an engine. Just look at any late-model car, and if they're a power junky, they're running a supercharger. But what about you guys with your classic Mopars? Where can you get a centrifugal supercharger to fit your small- or big-blockpowered Mopar? Look no farther, the Supercharger Store has just what you're looking for. The Supercharger Store kits feature ATI/Procharger superchargers, and they can deliver a kit to fit your needs.
Approximate cost
Contact for pricing
The Supercharger Store
Squirting Manually
When it comes to performance carburetors, the name Holley is the one to know—like you haven't for years. In fact, over 250,000,000 carburetors have been produced over the years. No company knows fuel systems like Holley. Today, Holley carburetors continue to be a dominant force in high performance and racing, winning more races than all others combined. Holley carburetors have powered every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team, and nearly every winning NHRA Pro Stock team since the 1960s and every weekend still today.
Approximate cost
Varies dependant on need
Bolaws Automotive
If you need to have your Holley properly "tweaked," Bolaws Carburetors (BLP) is who you need to contact. BLP manufactures high-quality modified Holley carburetors, gaskets, and more fuel system components. They carry the largest Holley performance carburetor service parts inventory in the industry. BLP also offers special machining services to their customers. Commitment to their customers is exemplified by continued expansion to include increasing both floor space and adding modern CNC machining centers. Their in-house engineering staff and Research and Development department enables BLP to remain a leader in the racing industry.
Approximate cost
Varies dependant on need
BLP Racing Products


text:
The CGEIT certification is intended to recognize a wide range of professionals for their knowledge and application of IT governance principles and practices.
The CGEIT is designed for professionals who have management, advisory, and/or assurance responsibilities relating to the governance of IT. To earn the CGEIT credential, an individual must:
Five (5) or more years of experience managing, serving in an advisory or oversight role, and/or otherwise supporting the governance of the IT-related contribution to an enterprise is required to apply for certification. This experience is defined specifically by the domains and task statements described in the CGEIT Job Practice.
A minimum of one year of experience relating to the definition, establishment and management of a Framework for the Governance of IT is required. The type and extent of experience accepted is described in CGEIT domain 1 (see Framework for the Governance of Enterprise IT). For a list and description of the CGEIT domains see Job Practice Areas.
Additional broad experience directly related to any two or more of the remaining CGEIT domains is required. The type and extent of experience accepted is described in CGEIT domains 2 through 5. These domains are:
Individuals can take the CGEIT exam prior to earning the above work experience. There are no waivers or substitutions for CGEIT experience.
Exception: Two years as a full-time university instructor teaching IT governance related subjects at an accredited university can be substituted for every one year of IT governance experience.
It is important to note that individuals may choose to take the CGEIT exam prior to meeting the experience requirements. This practice is acceptable and encouraged, although the CGEIT designation will not be awarded until all requirements are met.
The ISACA Exam Candidate Guide includes candidate information about exam registration, dates and deadlines, and provides important key candidate details for exam-day administration. We encourage all exam candidates to review the information contained in this guide to familiarize themselves with the key exam dates and deadlines, and exam-day rules.
Download Now

subset: commoncrawl


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Refresh and reset your PC
The power of personalization is something we all love about PCs, but sometimes there is good reason to want to roll back to an earlier state. Most consumer electronics devices today can be reset to some factory state, and so we built this capability into Windows 8 too. Desmond Lee is a program manager on the Fundamentals team and authored this post about "push-button reset."
Many consumer electronic devices these days provide a way for customers to get back to some predefined "good" state. This ranges from the hardware reset button on the back of a wireless network router, to the software reset option on a smartphone. We've built two new features in Windows 8 that can help you get your PCs back to a "good state" when they're not working their best, or back to the "factory state" when you're about to give them to someone else or decommission them.
Today, there are many different approaches and tools to get a PC back to factory condition. If you buy a PC with Windows preinstalled, it often comes with a manufacturer-provided tool and a hidden partition that can be used for that specific model of PC. You might also use a third-party imaging product, Windows system image backup, or the tried and true method of a clean reinstall from the Windows DVD. While these tools all provide similar functionalities, they don't provide a consistent experience from one PC or technique to another. If you are the "go to" person for your friends, relatives, or neighbors when they need help with their PCs, you may find that it's sometimes necessary to just start over and reinstall everything. Without a consistent experience to do this, you might end up spending more time finding the recovery tool for a specific PC than actually fixing the problems, and this gets even worse if you're helping someone over the phone.
With Windows 8, there are a few key things that we set out to deliver:
- Provide a consistent experience to get the software on any Windows 8 PC back to a good and predictable state.
- Streamline the process so that getting a PC back to a good state with all the things customers care about can be done quickly instead of taking up the whole day.
- Make sure that customers don't lose their data in the process.
- Provide a fully customizable approach for technical enthusiasts to do things their own way.
As we began planning for Windows 8, we asked ourselves: "Wouldn't it be great if you could just push a button and everything is fixed?" We really wanted to focus on the concept of "push button", which translated into a design goal that represents a simple to use, predictable, and fast solution. We also wanted to build on the process many people already use today when they need to start over: back up your data, reinstall Windows and apps, and restore your data. The strength of this approach is that you start over from a truly clean state, but you still get to keep the things you care about. With that as the basis of the solution, our goal was to make the process much more streamlined, less time-consuming, and more accessible to a broad set of customers.
Our solution in Windows 8 consists of two related features:
- Reset your PC – Remove all personal data, apps, and settings from the PC, and reinstall Windows.
- Refresh your PC – Keep all personal data, Metro style apps, and important settings from the PC, and reinstall Windows.
Reset your PC to start over
In some cases, you might just want to remove everything and start from scratch manually. But in other cases, you're removing your data from a PC because you're about to recycle or decommission it. For both of these situations, you can easily reset your Windows 8 PC and put the software back into the same condition as it was when you started it for the very first time (such as when you purchased the PC).
Resetting your Windows 8 PC goes like this:
- The PC boots into the Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE).
- Windows RE erases and formats the hard drive partitions on which Windows and personal data reside.
- Windows RE installs a fresh copy of Windows.
- The PC restarts into the newly installed copy of Windows.
(Note that the screenshots below reflect changes that we're making for Beta, some of which are not yet available in Developer Preview)
Resetting your PC
For those of you who worry about data that may still be recoverable after a standard reset, especially on PCs with sensitive personal data, we also will be providing an option in Windows 8 Beta to erase your data more thoroughly, with additional steps that can significantly limit the effectiveness of even sophisticated data recovery attempts. Instead of just formatting the drive, choosing the "Thorough" option will write random patterns to every sector of the drive, overwriting any existing data visible to the operating system. Even if someone removes the drive from your PC, your data will still not be easily recoverable without the use of special equipment that is prohibitively expensive for most people. This approach strikes a good balance between security and performance – a single pass through your hard drive offers more than enough security for typical scenarios such as donation to a local charity, but does not bog you down for hours or days with multi-pass scrubbing operations that might be required for regulatory compliance if you are dealing with highly confidential business and government data.
Choosing how your data should be removed
Refresh your PC to fix problems
Resetting your PC can take you back to square one if you encounter a problem, but that's clearly a very heavy weight solution, something you'd only do as a last resort. But what if you could get the benefit of a reset – starting over with a fresh Windows install – while still keeping your stuff intact? This is where Refresh comes in handy. Refresh functionality is fundamentally still a reinstall of Windows, just like resetting your PC as described above, but your data, settings, and Metro style apps are preserved. We have a solution to help you with your desktop apps, too, which I'll talk about a little later.
The coolest part about Refresh is there's no need to first back up your data to an external hard drive and restore them afterwards.
Refreshing your PC goes like this:
- The PC boots into Windows RE.
- Windows RE scans the hard drive for your data, settings, and apps, and puts them aside (on the same drive).
- Windows RE installs a fresh copy of Windows.
- Windows RE restores the data, settings, and apps it has set aside into the newly installed copy of Windows.
- The PC restarts into the newly installed copy of Windows.
Unlike manually reinstalling Windows, you don't have to go through the Windows Welcome screens again and reconfigure all the initial settings, as your user accounts and those settings are all preserved. You can sign in with the same account and password, and all of your documents and data are preserved in the same locations they were before. To accomplish this, we actually use the same imaging and migration technologies behind Windows Setup. In fact, the underlying setup engine is used to perform both Reset and Refresh, which also benefit from the performance and reliability improvements we added to setup for Windows 8.
Refreshing your PC
Misconfigured settings are sometimes the cause of problems that lead to customers needing to refresh their PCs. To ensure that Refresh is both effective in fixing problems and in making sure customers don't lose settings that they might have trouble reconfiguring, we've thought a great deal about which settings to preserve. In Windows 8 Beta, some of the settings we'll preserve include:
- Wireless network connections
- Mobile broadband connections
- BitLocker and BitLocker To Go settings
- Drive letter assignments
- Personalization settings such as lock screen background and desktop wallpaper
On the other hand, we deliberately chose not to preserve the following settings, as they can occasionally cause problems if misconfigured:
- File type associations
- Display settings
- Windows Firewall settings
We will continue to enhance and tune both lists over time based on how we see the feature being used in the Developer Preview and Beta.
Restoring your apps
We preserve only Metro style apps when customers refresh their PCs, and require desktop apps that do not come with the PC to be reinstalled manually. We do this for two reasons. First, in many cases there is a single desktop app that is causing the problems that lead to a need to perform this sort of maintenance, but identifying this root cause is not usually possible. And second, we do not want to inadvertently reinstall "bad" apps that were installed unintentionally or that hitched a ride on something good but left no trace of how they were installed.
It is also important to understand that we cannot deterministically replace desktop apps, as there are many installer technologies as well as custom setup and configuration logic, of which Windows has little direct knowledge. That is why we discourage the use of third-party uninstallers or scrubbers. One simple thing to consider is that many setup and installation programs conditionally implement functionality based on the state of the machine at the time of the install (for example default browser, default photo handler, etc.)
You can, however, cleanly install and uninstall all Metro style apps using the .appx package format. If you're interested in learning more about how Metro style apps work in this regard, check out the following sessions from //build:
If you do need to reinstall some desktop apps after you refresh your PC, we save the list of apps that were not preserved in an HTML file, and put this list on the desktop, so you have a quick way to see what you might need to reinstall and where to find them.
One caution is that if any desktop apps you have require a license key, you will need to follow your manufacturer's instructions for how to reuse the key. This might involve uninstalling the app first, going to a web site, or going through some automated steps by phone, for example.
What if the PC can't boot?
When your PC is able to boot normally, you can get started with refreshing or resetting it from PC settings. (This is the Metro style app that we called "Control Panel" in the Windows Developer Preview. It is different from the standard Control Panel that you can still use for more complex tasks from the desktop.) The options are easily discoverable, and will be in the same place on every Windows 8 PC. Once launched, you can get through them with just a few clicks, which makes it easy to guide someone through the process over the phone.
However, in some situations, the PC might not boot successfully and you might want to refresh or reset it to get it back to a working condition. In a previous post, Billie Sue Chafins discussed how the boot experience has been redesigned from the ground up, including troubleshooting using Windows RE. Naturally, we've made it possible for you to refresh or reset your PC from there as well.
Refreshing or resetting your PC from the new boot UI
In Windows 8 Beta, there will also be a tool that you can use to create a bootable USB flash drive, in case even the copy of Windows RE on the hard drive won't start. You'll be able to start your PC with the USB drive, and fix problems by refreshing your PC or performing advanced troubleshooting. And if your PC comes with a hidden recovery partition, you'll even have the option to remove it and reclaim disk space once you've created the USB drive.
Refreshing your PC to a state you define, including desktop apps
We know that many of you like to first configure your PC just the way you like it, by installing favorite desktop apps or removing apps that came with the PC, and then create an image of the hard drive before you start using the PC. This way, when you need to start over, you can just restore the image and you won't have to reinstall the apps from scratch.
With this in mind, we've made it possible for you to establish your own baseline image via a command-line tool (recimg.exe). So when you get a Windows 8 PC, you will be able to do the following:
- Go through the Windows first-run experience to configure basic settings.
- Install your favorite desktop apps (or uninstall things you don't want).
- Configure the machine exactly as you would like it.
- Use recimg.exe to capture and set your custom image of the system.
After you've created the custom image, whenever you refresh your PC, not only will you be able to keep your personal data, settings, and Metro style apps, but you can restore all the desktop apps in your custom image as well. And if you buy a PC that already comes with a recovery image on a hidden partition, you'll be able to use the tool to switch from using the hidden partition to instead use the custom image you've created.
If you'd like to try this out now, a preview version of this tool is included in the Windows 8 Developer Preview. You can try it out by typing the following in a command prompt window running as administrator:
mkdir C:\RefreshImage
recimg -CreateImage C:\RefreshImage
This creates the image under C:\RefreshImage and will register it to be used when you refresh your PC. Again, this is a very early version of the tool, so we know it's not perfect yet. Rest assured that we're working hard to get it ready for primetime.
Getting back to productivity quickly
When we started building these features, we knew that ease of use wasn't going to be enough – refresh and reset had to be fast as well. Many of the recovery tools preloaded with PCs today take an hour or more just to get the PC back to factory condition, and you often still have to spend hours copying back your data and reconfiguring everything. Even solutions that back up and restore the entire hard drive can take a long time, as the time required generally scales with how much data you have.
To give an example of the performance of our solution, we installed a clean copy of Windows on the Developer Preview PC that we gave out to attendees at the BUILD conference, filled most of the drive with data, and measured the time it took to go through various recovery operations:
Recovery operation
Time required
Refreshing the PC
8 minutes 22 seconds
Resetting the PC (quick)
6 minutes 12 seconds
Resetting the PC (thorough, with BitLocker enabled)
6 minutes 21 seconds
Resetting the PC (thorough, without BitLocker)
23 minutes 52 seconds
Compared to a baseline time of 24 minutes 29 seconds for restoring the same contents from a system image backup, most of these times show a considerable improvement.
The beauty of refreshing the PC is that performance isn't impacted by the amount of data you have. Using the migration technology behind Windows Setup, your data never leaves the drive, and they are not physically moved from one location on the disk to another either, hence minimizing disk reads/writes. Restoring a system image from an external drive using the Windows backup utility, on the other hand, took much longer due to the data in the backup, even with the relatively small 64GB drive on the prototype PC. Thoroughly erasing data did take a bit longer than the other operations, as every sector of the drive had to be overwritten. However, you may also notice that when BitLocker drive encryption was enabled on the drive, this process took much less time. This is due to an optimization we employ so that erasing an encrypted drive would require erasing only the encryption metadata, rendering all the data unrecoverable.
A consistent and easy way to get back to a known good state
Sometimes things can go wrong and you just want to get back to a good state quickly, while other times you might want to remove your data before giving a PC to another family member, employee, or co-worker. With Windows 8, we've streamlined these processes and made them more accessible to customers with the new refresh and reset features. Here's a video showing these features in action:
Download this video to view it in your favorite media player:
High quality MP4 | Lower quality MP4
We hope you'll find these features useful and time-saving when you're fixing your own PC or helping others with theirs.
-- Desmond Lee


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Alan Duncan, the first Conservative MP to voluntarily come out as gay has told media to "back off" covering William Hague, his wife and rumours of a gay affair with a 25-year-old aide. He described the way the foreign secretary's personal life has been covered as "contemptible".
Mr Duncan, who is minister of state for international development told the BBC Radio4′s Any Questions that Mr Hague is "a very special politician and I think the way he has been pilloried this week has been contemptible."
He added: "Leave them alone now. Back off and let's get on with watching a very, very competent Foreign Secretary and a serious figure in our politics get on with his job."
On Wednesday, Mr Hague's special adviser Chris Myers, 25, resigned, citing the pressure of "untrue and malicious allegations".
Rumours about the relationship between Mr Myers and Mr Hague intensified last weekend, after the political blogger Paul Staines, better known as Guido Fawkes, claimed the pair had shared a hotel room during the election campaign.
Yesterday, Tory grandees Lord Tebbit and John Redwood raised concerns about him sharing a hotel room with a young male aide and also questioned the extraordinarily personal statement he released on Wednesday. In it, Mr Hague, 49, detailed his wife Ffion's numerous miscarriages in an attempt to prove he is not gay. He also revealed that the couple had lost a pregnancy during the summer. Mrs Hague is understood to be a deeply private person, who has never granted interviews to the media.
A number of political figures have suggested he was given poor PR advice and reports suggest he made the statement against the advice of Tory press handlers.
Mr Duncan told the Any Questions: "I know William, I know Ffion and I don't like the way that they have been treated.
"I think the way he has behaved, the way Ffion has behaved has been admirable – composed, calm, dignified – and I think it is wrong for British politics that a couple like this should have been subjected to what they have been subjected this week."
Mr Duncan was critical of the BBC for interviewing the Speaker of the House of Common's wife, the Labour campaigner Sally Bercow about Mr Hague. He said including her was "ill-advised and tasteless." Mrs Bercow told Today that Mr Hague was the victim of "duff PR advice", saying: "You don't need to disclose this level of detail to prove you're not gay… It's elevated something that was circulating on the internet to the national press and the national media."
Labour leadership contender Ed Miliband told the programme: "I'm no friend of William Hague, but I am a strong defender of him and Ffion Hague in this case, because it makes politics profoundly depressing.
"He and his wife are being subject to a whole series of unfounded rumours. I don't think they go to his fitness as Foreign Secretary. I don't think there are any allegations that I have seen that speak to his ability to do the job."
Openly gay minister Alan Duncan tells media to "back off" covering William Hague gay rumours
Alan Duncan, the first Conservative MP to voluntarily come out as gay has told media to "back off" covering William Hague, his wife and rumours of a gay affair with a 25-year-old aide. He described the way the foreign secretary's personal life has been covered as "contemptible".


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I've hesitated posting about this because it doesn't fit my image of us. We are seasoned DIYers after all, we know what we are doing and we are perfectionists (at least Steve is, it only takes one anyway). I've singlehandedly refinished over 1000 feet of oak and a dozen doors after all. Steve builds furniture by hand (the hard way/the craftsman way). We don't make mistakes. (cough cough)
But then I thought to myself, "Self, you haven't got that much going on with the house that you can post on the blog to be so choosey" and "Self, aren't you supposed to be all about keeping it real?? This isn't some HGTV show after all. I mean, really."
So I decided to share our recent disappointment with one of our previous projects. The thing with DIY is you don't want the work just to look good when you finish it, you want it to last a really really long time so you don't have to do it again for God's sake.
Sometimes, it doesn't work out that way. And yes, this even happens to people like me Steve who do their homework and have been doing DIY for almost a decade. It happens because....(hear this all ye disgruntled contractors!!)--we are not professionals. And actually, now that I think about it- things can go wrong for professionals too. So there.
So now you want the dirt right? Everyone always does.
It was late in the season, November 2007 to be exact and we were worried our dilapidated garage door would not make it another winter and would splinter and crack into pieces leaving a garage without a door, which would be certain disaster (relatively speaking of course).
We would have started sooner, but we got behind and didn't find a a replacement door until mid-October...
From that point, it was a race to finish the door before it got too cold. The door was painted and needed to be stripped. That was my job.
I did my usual heat gun and strypeeze combo outside in the backyard and all seemed well until I put the first coat of primer and some red dye seemed to be bleeding through. Uh oh.
As it was now November and getting colder fast, we perservered and continued painting. Steve replaced the glass panes, fabricated muntins for the missing pieces, and concentrated on framing the door.
It was one of those times I felt bad for Steve because he was working outside in not very nice weather (see photo) and there was no turning back. Kind of like when you go on a hike and the weather turns bad, really bad. You have to hike back, no option. That's the kind of project replacing an outside door is. You can't just leave it till next year when the weather is better etc... From this and other such experiences, I don't recommend starting a project like this so late in the season. Live and learn.
Anyway, Steve managed to get the new framing and trim in though I recall some choice words uttered and real frustration with the fit. He wasn't 100% happy with the finish carpentry.
I remember he said (almost as a warning to the errant trim), "I'll be redoing this in the Spring!" And I was like, "Oh, great. Can't wait." I didn't say that out loud mind you, just thought to myself. I'm not that dumb. Rather, I behaved more along the lines of, "I'll make dinner tonght okay?" and "I'll do the grocery shopping and bake some cookies for you okay, honey?" And Steve said in reply, "grrrr. okay."
Painfully, he managed to get the door finished before Christmas. And after that punishing end to the season, we took a much deserved break.
Happy ending right? Not exactly. This is a good project gone bad so it doesn't have a happy ending.
Remember that red stain bleeding through the white primer? Well that seemed to effect the bonding of the paint to the wood. It was either that or the cold temperatures that caused the paint to fail in several places.
So, for the past two years, I have scraped, caulked and painted that door . Steve hasn't redone the trim yet either. We've had other fish to fry and there's still some healing to do before we revisit this project.
I never posted about this because it was so annoying and I couldn't stand to write about it, but now after a few years have gone by, I have enough detatchment it's okay now. These things happen when you are a DIYer and in life. Things don't always go as planned. It's another important lesson and another life lesson that we have fully actualized through our DIY activities. Life as a house. It really fits sometimes.
Friday, September 25, 2009
4 comments:
- jake said...
So on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you best describe you love/hate relationship with this door?? :)
- Jocelyn said...
Ha! I guess I'd say about a 6.5 or 7 for me. But for Steve it's probably higher!
- Todd - Home Construction Improvement said...
Anyone that says they haven't had a problem with one of their DIY projects lies! I'm had plenty of problems and I work for a construction company. Nothing to be ashamed of and it's certainly something that many folks face.
Keep up the good work!
- Gary said...
I am finally catching up on blogs after a busy year! If you want to stop the bleeding through there is a simple solution ...... wait for it ..... shellac it! But you knew that .....
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Terrafugia's "Roadable Aircraft" Engineered with Virtual Prototyping from ANSYS
Released : 27 Jul 2010
Historic Vehicle Optimized for Flight and Driving with Minimal Physical Testing
PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The world's first commercial "flying car" will go the distance on both highways and runways next year when it rolls off the production line -- thanks, in part, to design optimization from ANSYS (NASDAQ: ANSS).
Massachusetts-based Terrafugia used ANSYS(R) engineering simulation software to design and verify its new production prototype of the Transition(R) aircraft that also can drive on the highway, which was unveiled yesterday at the EAA AirVenture airshow. Terrafugia engineers conducted whole-vehicle airflow tests that assessed the effects of design changes on overall performance -- working in parallel across the various Transition components. The simulations were used to maximize wing lift in the air and to minimize the effects of crosswinds along the road.
"The Transition's test flights identified some important engineering issues that ANSYS fluid dynamics software helped us to address in the production prototype," said Gregor Cadman, an engineer at Terrafugia. "Our latest design improves both the in-air and on-road performance of the Transition, as well as ensures that the vehicle lends itself to full-scale manufacturing. Simulation software from ANSYS played a central role in these engineering efforts. Without the ability to work in a virtual environment, we would have had to construct complicated physical models, modify or rebuild them, and conduct hours of real-world testing, slowing down the process and adding significantly to development costs."
The Transition is the world's first vehicle to combine a lightweight, aerodynamic aircraft with the stability needed for long-distance driving on the highway. The vehicle can cruise up to 490 miles at over 105 miles per hour, can drive at highway speeds on the road, and is capable of transforming from plane to car in less than 30 seconds. The sophisticated design features foldable wings that span more than 26 feet, a rear-wheel-drive system for the road and a propeller for flight. Terrafugia's team of aeronautical engineers earned global attention when the Transition proof-of-concept vehicle completed a successful 60-second test flight in March 2009. The company expects to begin commercial production of the vehicle in 2011.
Working closely with ANSYS product specialists, the Terrafugia engineering team also studied the impact of the Transition's propeller on air flows around the vehicle. As the project developed over time, engineers applied simulation tools to study ever-smaller and more precise design modifications, which added to their confidence that the Transition will perform well in flight testing.
"The dual challenges of driving and flying present significant challenges for aeronautical engineers," said Greg Stuckert, aerospace industry manager at ANSYS. "Terrafugia's use of engineering simulation to fine-tune designs throughout the development process -- not just at the end for verification -- contributed to an optimized historic vehicle and an efficient product launch. Their earlier successful test flights and this year's production prototype are the proof that their efforts are paying off."
For downloadable images, visit www.ansys.com/newsimages.
About Terrafugia
Terrafugia, Inc. (pronounced ter-ra-FOO-gee-ah) is the developer of the first street-legal airplane which pilots can fly between local airports and drive on any road. The start-up company has received worldwide media attention, including coverage by Forbes, Fortune, CNN, CBS and Fox News. Based in Woburn, Massachusetts, U.S.A., the company is composed of a team of award-winning engineers who have been advancing the state of personal aircraft since 2006. Founded by five pilots who are graduates of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and supported by a world-class network of advisors and private investors, Terrafugia's mission is the innovative expansion of personal mobility. Learn more at www.terrafugia.com.
About ANSYS, Inc.
ANSYS, Inc., founded in 1970, develops and globally markets engineering simulation software and technologies widely used by engineers, designers, researchers and students across a broad spectrum of industries and academia. The Company focuses on the development of open and flexible solutions that enable users to analyze designs directly on the desktop, providing a common platform for fast, efficient and cost-conscious product development, from design concept to final-stage testing and validation. The Company and its global network of channel partners provide sales, support and training for customers. Headquartered in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., with more than 60 strategic sales locations throughout the world, ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries employ over 1,600 people and distribute ANSYS products through a network of channel partners in over 40 countries. Visit www.ansys.com for more information.
ANSYS, ANSYS Workbench, Ansoft, AUTODYN, CFX, FLUENT, and any and all ANSYS, Inc. brand, product, service and feature names, logos and slogans are registered trademarks or trademarks of ANSYS, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States or other countries. All other brand, product, service and feature names or trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130430/NE03388LOGO
Source: ANSYS, Inc.


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I suffered with post partum depression after my second child at the age of 29. it morphed into depression and clouded my life for the better part of six years. prior to that anger and resentment, from my mother dying when I was 15, combined with the twists and turns that followed in the next four or so years, turned me into someone I no longer recognized. this lasted for about 20 years. let that sink in. two decades. of anger, resentment and grief. it changes you. changes who you are at the core. the face that stares back at you from the bathroom mirror is that of a total stranger.
the 'new' me at thirty was ill equipped to handle motherhood. I had never really been a very maternal person to begin with. I was adopted. and although I loved my parents deeply I suffered from some type of attachment disorder. I never liked to be touched. or hugged. being held and comforted in a rocker by the age of six was really just torture. I had a hard time expressing my love in words. I loved my friends more publicly than I ever was able to love my parents. pile onto this the shock and anger at my mother passing and the PPD that hung over me like a thunderstorm and you just get one really detached human.
I had my first child, Big'K, at the age of 21. I was in the Army with a great future in front of me. Cue unplanned pregnancy. The fear of being more than a thousand miles from everyone I considered a loved one, combined with the fact that her father was on the west coast and I was heading to the upper east coast, guided my judgment and I chose to exit stage left from the military. one of the biggest regrets of my life. I came home and had her a month early. with a horrible C-section, my inability to breast feed, complete ignorance at taking care of a child and no natural maternal fairydust to guide me, we struggled through the first few months. my cousin Harley took us in and helped so much. she was a different child. much like me. was uncomfortable being held. had reflux to the Amityville Horror level. could not tolerate most formulas. she was mostly a happy baby. literally cried hard three times before the age of one. two of those times we went to the hospital because I had no idea what to do. I was being spoiled. I had the best infant ever. so adorable and sweet. went along with mostly anything. we muddled through the first few years and made it. we never really were able to bond. two people who do not like to be touched do not make a loving mother daughter commercial. I deployed when she was six. not across the world. but across this huge state I live in. she stayed half the time with the BFF and the rest with my dad and step mom. she sunk into a horrible depression. and I was destroyed. I had thought that I would have been able to handle the distance and separation. but I sucked at it. horribly. after the year I returned and we actually began to bond. it was a great time.
cue second child.
things were wrong from the beginning. the whole pregnancy was hard. I was sick. and so so tired. I had tons of scar tissue from previous surgeries and endometriosis and the entire pregnancy each time she grew something would rip. I spent the entire pregnancy wondering when one of us was going to die. obviously neither of us did. we made it to the end. the hospital stay itself is another post. motherhood is strange. I believe it gives us the ability to block certain things out. for if not no one would have more than one child. maybe because the last four years have been so rough my brain did the only thing it could do, push those baby memories to the back so that there was a good part to remember. because in my mind her babyhood was great. but it was not. she wavered between being a great happy baby to head spinning pea soup spitting demon child. it was different than with Big'K. I felt like we had bonded. at this point I figured it was just something I was doing. my support system was great. so I knew it could not just be me. for the most part though it was all ok. we moved right before she turned two. she was a baby that had been in daycare since she was 10 weeks old. and had done well. once we moved though things changed. she began acting out. biting. throwing crazy fits. I had no idea what was going on. a lot had changed. we moved. I was working one week on and one week off. eventually things lined out a little more. we moved back 'home' when she was about four. the fits had become worse. she would clench her teeth and growl like a wild animal. her eyes would be glossy and full of rage. she began kicking and hitting. either everything around her or herself. leaving a virtual fall out zone for weeks at a time. nothing made her happy. when we would figure out what made her happy it would change.
cue the beginning of the end of normal.
it becomes harder to remember the further we get from that defining moment. but I know it was close to thanksgiving. she was 'raging' in the living room. I had started doing the ignore tactic. hoping it would lessen the severity and longevity of the fits. I walked into the kitchen to wash dishes. she was on the floor in the living room kicking and growling. my kitchen and living room are open to each other so I could still see her. I would glance at her every ten to fifteen seconds just to be sure she was ok. then glancing every thirty or so seconds. I could hear her kicking and growling the whole time. she was in a direct line of sight. I looked away to put a plate in the dish rack and wash another. when I looked back up at her, she had the cord to the vacuum cleaner wrapped around her neck and was pulling with all her might. my sweet beautiful four year old was... self harming. how does that even happen? I ran over and took the cord from her hands and from around her neck. I sat on the floor and held her tight crying until she calmed down. this was the straw that broke the camels back. the next day I called our local MHMR to schedule an appointment. I did not have insurance and could not afford to pay out of pocket. so I went with what I knew. this was a horrible time. the two weeks of doing paperwork to get her qualified and then seen was excruciating. it felt like a decade. with her self harming becoming more frequent how could we continue to wait. we were qualified and did eventually get it. this started the road that we have been on for the last four, almost five, years. we have found meds that have worked. but she metabolizes meds quickly. adapts. there are frequent updoses. and med changes. the one med that has kept her stable for so long we have had to stop. it was messing with her sugar and triglycerides. and her hormones were way too high. so after over a year of mostly ok times, we are at the start again. and I feel like I did four years ago.
I am exhausted. I worry constantly. she rages. but has turned her anger towards me. she hates me. and not like 'oh yeah my daughter told me she hates me' and it is a phase that every child goes through. my daughter truly with every cell in her body hates me. if only for thirty minutes. she truly hates me. but does not know why. and it is not constant. but when it hits the destruction she leaves is almost irreparable. the first new med we tired was a no-go. it made her very self sabotaging. we are on a new med now. it seems to be working. but she is metabolizing it fast. so it is wearing off. and between that time and the next dose it is all death and dismemberment. one of her meds is a time med. it HAS to be given every 12 hours on the dot. with no more than 15 minutes each way. this is not a joke. we have found that even twenty to thirty minutes late or early changes everything. we need to add in another dose during the day of the new med, but the doctor does not agree. he thinks is would sedate her. a sledge hammer and a WWF wrestler could not sedate this child. I know the doctor has the degree and the schooling. but I am the mom. I have her 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I see her. I know what the meds do and do not do. I am not stupid. I am educated. I have read and researched everything I can to better help her and us. he tells me I am a good parent, but gets irritated that I know the names of meds and their half-lives. did I mention I have been a lab tech since 1996? I am IN the medical field. I know things. you have a parent that is willing to read. and learn. and be proactive in their child's mental healthcare. that can understand dosages and half-life's. that should be used as a tool in helping this child. but instead I get chastised for researching and learning. it is sad. a medical community that often does not believe in childhood mental illness' because they do not understand them. tells parents they are wrong.
in the last three months we have had one of the roughest times since the thanksgiving stunt. she has tried to jump out of a moving car. asked me to drown her in the canal. set the house on fire. cut her hair off. wrote stories about not having a mom. ran away. stolen her sister's money. told me she hated me. asked to be institutionalized. waged mental warfare with everyone she loves. self harmed. she has also laughed. shared her ice cream. helped a kid with their math work. dressed up in play clothes and make up. helped cook dinner. took up for a kid being bullied. made straight A's. fixed her own bento box for lunch. played in the rain. sang at the top of her lungs in the shower. woke up and fixed her sister breakfast. and given the best hugs.
this is not normal behavior for an 8 year old.
my name is Loco YaYa. my Big'K is smarter than 96% of the population. beautiful in a natural way. empathetic. loving. nerdy. not affected by peer pressure or social expectations. strange and wonderful. she is her own person. she is determined to go to college early. she is not defined by her Asperger's or severe OCD or anxiety disorder. but if she was she would not care. she is so special. I wish everyone could do that. not worry about what others thought. and continue to push forward.
my name is Loco YaYa. my Lil'K is beautiful. can sing like an angel. highly intelligent. funny as hell. loves ice cream. is flexible like a gymnast and wants to cheer. loves being independent. wishes she was not different. hates the voices in her head. she is bi-polar. my sweet beautiful baby is bi-polar. she cycles anywhere from 8 to 20 times a day on a bad day. and will struggle the rest of her life with an invisible illness that will define her. and she cares. I worry about her future. where she will be and how she will continue forward.
mental illness needs a punch in the junk. it sucks. it makes your life hard. it begs to be hidden. well I am tired of hiding. I am tired of the stigma. I am tired of society dictating what is right and wrong. that child you see melting the fuck down in the grocery store is not always a result of bad parenting. and that mom that is gritting her teeth and holding back tears praying that her kid can hold it together long enough to get the groceries in the car is overwhelmed. she is tired. she does not need your stare of disapproval. she is doing the best she can with what she has to work with. and I guarantee she would be more than willing to give you a weekend in her shoes and watch you fail miserably. that parent that speaks more sternly or with truths that you believe are too much for a child to understand when explaining something is not being bitchy. she may just be explaining something a little more logically to a child that only sees black and white. only understands logic. and that child may have a 160 IQ and understand far more than you do. I am tired of a mental health system that studies symptoms and patterns of adults and because they do not fit to a child, thinks it is not possible. or a doctor that thinks a parent does not know as much about their child because they do not have a PhD. I call horseshit on the world for making parents of mentally ill children suffer in silence. and a big fuck you to the universe for even making it possible.
I am the mother of a mentally ill child. and I refuse to be silent...


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Thank you to those that dropped by our coffee roasting demo at The Bay Area Maker Faire this past weekend. We had a ton of fun sharing our enjoyment of roasting coffee and meeting some of our customers in person. In the short amount of time we had on stage, we were able to show the crowd how you can roast coffee in something as simple as a hot air popcorn popper and explain the basics of green coffee.
We always bring free green coffee samples to our demos. We thought we had brought enough but the friendly mob wiped us out in about a minute after we were done talking.
The Maker Faire, in general is always a really fun experience and we are already looking forward to next year's event. If you weren't able to attend, and are interested in getting started roasting coffee, click here to learn about roasting with an electric popper.


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Founded in 1996, Helimax Aviation, Inc. (HAI) was brought to life by a group of people who believed there was a need for a helicopter company with the experience and knowledge to provide safe and reliable helicopter lift services to the construction industry.
We are focused on the construction industry and are uniquely available in the United States and Mexico. HAI excels in providing the highest quality lift service to its customers. Over the years, Helimax has flown hundreds of accident-free hours, providing helicopter lift services to most of the United States.


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Dir. Andrea Bianchi
When a fashion model dies during a botched abortion, a slew of violent murders ensue, starting with that of the doctor who tried to cover up her death. The killer's victims are all connected to a fashion modelling agency where the dead girl worked. As the body count rises, a couple of scantily clad, nay, buck naked amateur sleuths try to discover the killer's identity before they too are struck off.
"I feel too hot to be a corpse, baby."
To describe Strip Nude For Your Killer as trashy and exploitative would really be a fantastically obvious understatement. Hey, with a title like that, one should really know what to expect. Of course, there are those films with truly exploitative, titillating titles that can never hope to live up to the lurid promise their monikers suggest – Strip Nude is not one of those films. It does exactly what it says on the tin. The pleasantly surprising thing is that the film is actually very enjoyable, in a trashy, exploitative and deliriously kitsch way. Scenes boasting naked women having sex, naked women parading around gloriously decorated houses in nothing but stilettos and naked women flouncing around in tacky photo shoots are intercut with scenes of naked women being stabbed to death by a mysterious assailant in black leather biking gear, a black motorcycle helmet and a glinting switchblade. The bloody climaxes of these scenes are usually reached after said naked women have undressed and are followed around by Bianchi's pervy camera before said leather biking gear clad killer jumps into frame and hacks at them with said glinting switchblade. Tension is as absent as clothes, though Bianchi does generate mild suspense in several scenes.
All this might sound like misogynistic drivel (it kind of is!), but the male characters in Strip Nude are often just as scantily clad (distressingly short shorts) and don't fare any better when confronted by the deranged murderer. There's even a (probably unintentional) subversion of convention in the scene where an overweight guy in briefs is stalked around his home by the killer, before being set upon as he attempts to inflate a rubber doll. Almost everyone featured in the film seemingly suffers from Vestiphobia (fear of clothing), for as soon as they enter a scene, it isn't long before they loose their clothes.
"Did I ever tell you, you look terrible with clothes on?"
Director Bianchi strips *ahem* the giallo formula right back to basics so it exhibits only the barest bones of the most rudimentary story to connect all the scenes of wonderfully exploitative sex, violence and murder. This film boasts even less of a plot than the likes of Sergio Martino's fabulously minimalist Torso; which at least had the decency to build to a genuinely suspenseful denouement. Strip Nude really only ends up being a tightly wound exercise in slashed suspenders and stockings. Even the murder mystery – which kind of has to feature somewhere in order to justify bumping off all the naked ladies - is as basic as they come. Of course this doesn't detract from the fun to be had when watching such unadulterated trash.
With the setting of a fashion model agency as the backdrop for a series of graphic murders involving beautiful models in various states of undress, it is impossible not to draw comparisons with Mario Bava's rapturously violent and chic Blood and Black Lace. While both films are undeniably stylish and boast a bevy of scantily clad belles being pursued and cut up by a masked marauder decked out in black leather, that's really where the similarities end. Well, that and the fact that both are Italian. Strip Nude For Your Killer lacks the class and mystery of Bava's giallo, essentially coming across as the younger, more slutty sister of Blood and Black Lace. But hey, younger, sluttier sisters can often be so much more fun than their older, classier siblings. *stops before this already dodgy analogy gets any worse* In other words, it is kind of a lower brow/poverty row Blood and Black Lace with extra sex, sleaze, perversion and gore.
Aside from gloriously unabashed exploitation and priceless trashy entertainment value, the film also features the added bonus of starring giallo stalwart Edwich Fenech, in all her elfish, Audrey Hepburnesque sultriness. It also boasts a lush, irresistibly funky score courtesy of Berto Pisano, complete with breathlessly seductive vocals by Ennio Morricone collaborator Edda Dell'Orso.
If murder, blackmail, models, lingerie, fur coats, suspenders, camp humour, mascara and leather clad killers with slick switchblades menacing skimpily clad buxom girls are your bag, then you've struck exploitation gold with Strip Nude For Your Killer! A smattering of titillating, sleazy sex scenes punctuated with tightly constructed murder sequences, all carried off with luridly stylish aplomb.
Strip Nude For Your Killer is available from Shameless Screen Entertainment. Check out the trailer here.


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- This course has passed.
Certified Fiber Optics Technician (CFOT) class in Alamogordo NM – Winter 2019
February 18, 2019 @ 8:00 am - February 20, 2019 @ 5:00 pm
The Prerequisite for all other BDI DataLynk CoursesThis course is sanctioned by the Fiber Optic Association (FOA), the largest professional society of fiber optics in the world. FOA courses offered by BDI DataLynk are recognized by The US Department of Labor.
Course Description:
This introductory 3-day fiber optic tech course is designed for anyone interested in becoming a Certified Fiber Optic Technician. This Fiber Optic Training combines theory and 85% hands-on activities to prepare the student to take the CFOT (Certified Fiber Optic Technician) test that is sanctioned by the FOA (Fiber Optics Association) and given and graded the final class day. This course also introduces the student to industry standards governing FTTD (Fiber To The Desk), FTTH (Fiber To The Home), and Distribution Cabling. Students will learn how to identify fiber types, recognize various connectors used in fiber installation; and install, terminate, splice, and properly test installed fiber cable to existing standards. This program explores the history and future of fiber optics and fiber optics capabilities, and basic testing and troubleshooting. Anyone interested in becoming a Certified Fiber Optics Technician should attend this class. Course fee includes study materials, exam fees, Text Book, and CD.


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Eartha Steward: Draining beer? You're in the clear Dumping a pill? You'll make us ill
special to the daily
Dear Eartha,
We had some people over last night, and this morning as I was pouring three almost-full beers down the drain, I wondered, is this bad for the environment? I don't pour toxic cleaners or medications down the drain. Help me!
– Alex, Silverthorne
Dear Alex,
As you know, though toxic in large quantities, beer is a valuable commodity. We recommend that you drink the beer as penance for inviting people over to your house who left three full beers. Seriously though, there is nothing wrong with pouring it down the drain. We consulted our local scientists, sewage treatment experts and beer drinkers and have concluded that other than dumping a tractor-trailer load full of beer down the drain (and who would do such a thing), it won't hurt the sewage treatment plant. There are a lot of substances that should not be poured down the drain, but beer is not one of them. But this brings up an important point.
We are slowly raising the community consciousness for the harm that flushing items like pharmaceuticals can have to our aquatic systems. Medications flushed down the drain end up in our lakes, streams and water supplies. A vast array of pharmaceuticals, including regular over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen, antibiotics, anti-consultants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones, have been found in U.S. drinking-water supplies. It is work for our water treatment centers to remove these items from the water system.
While you're at it, don't dump toxic chemicals, cleaners, paints, stains, etc. in the sink either. These should be taken to our Household Hazardous Waste disposal program at the Summit County Resource Allocation Park. Questions about where to take stuff? Give us a call at (970) 668-5703. We field approximately three to 3,000 of these calls a day, so don't worry if you're not sure where to take your weird household stuff, you are not the only one.
Pharmaceuticals can be taken for free to our local City Markets in Breckenridge and Dillon. Any over-the-counter medications, vitamins and prescription medications should be taken to these drop sites and not flushed down the toilet or sink. If you are reading this as a good reason to be worried about our water supply and buy bottled water instead, think again!
A simple carbon filter hooked to your faucet will do the trick to effectively get rid of any emerging contaminants. Bottled water is not the answer. There are actually fewer regulations governing bottled water, so there is no guarantee you are drinking higher quality water than from your tap.
Although it's true that plastic bottles can be recycled, it's an energy- intensive process and in most cases, plastic bottles must be down-cycled to materials that can no longer be recycled, like plastic lumber, carpet and fleece. Knowing that plastic chemicals can leach into the water supply, why would you want water in a plastic bottle anyway?
Thank you for your concern for the fate of your beer. It is a sad story to have to dump it down the drain, but we support your decision.
Ask Eartha Steward is written by the staff at the High Country Conservation Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to waste reduction and resource conservation. Submit questions to Eartha at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Start a dialogue, stay on topic and be civil.
If you don't follow the rules, your comment may be deleted.


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Challenged to explain where all the ocean water came from, some secular scientists are now rethinking their old beliefs.
Scientists have shown that some bacteria can substitute arsenic in place of phosphorus in their DNA and other molecules.
A recent study shows that bees can do the same work as computers in determining the shortest path when making multiple stops.
This is not a "top ten" list prepared for a late-night comedian or a TV game show.
Our cursed universe is not nearly as tidy as evolution forces people to assume.
The Bible affirms in Genesis 1 that earth is the special place that God chose to fill with living things.
The presence of "early modern" human remains in China pose no real puzzle for creationists to solve.
By evolutionary standards, chimps are supposed to be our closest living relative, but when it comes to understanding humans, they don't hold a bone to man's best friend.
No results found in Perspective.
Continual attacks on God's Word can cause even Christians to question the Bible. Are you prepared to answer the attacks, or more important, questions from those who honestly want to learn how we know God's Word is true? This issue of Answers will burrow down to the heart of the matter, highlighting seven reasons we know the Bible is true!Browse Issue Subscribe
Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.


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Tenaris announces $1.5B Eagle Ford pipe plant
BAY CITY — An international manufacturing company with operations around the globe said Friday it will build a $1.5 billion plant in Matagorda County — near the bustling Eagle Ford Shale — to produce piping for use in shale drilling operations throughout the United States.
Germán Curá, president of North American operations for Tenaris, said the company was convinced by the incentives offered by Gov. Rick Perry and local economic development officials — including a $6 million grant from the state's Texas Enterprise Fund — and by the workforce and infrastructure in Matagorda County, about 90 miles southeast of Houston.
The county's proximity to the Eagle Ford oil and gas play was a plus.
"It is one of the most promising fields in the industry," Curá said. "The Eagle Ford has a lot to produce."
But pipe milled in Bay City also will be used in other shale plays across the country, he said, making the new plant a complement to Tenaris operations already in place in the United States.
Low-cost natural gas, a result of shale drilling, has sparked a manufacturing renaissance in the United States, and Curá said Tenaris clearly plans to be part of that.
Tenaris expects to complete the plant in 2016 and will employ 600 people, with an average annual salary of $66,000, according to the company.
The plant will be a boost to the Matagorda County economy, where unemployment routinely tops the state average and was 9.4 percent in December, according to preliminary figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The announcement Friday morning drew Perry and an auditorium filled with local politicians and economic development officials, who stood to applaud Curá's promise to open an office in Bay City on Monday morning.
The plant will have an annual production capacity of 600,000 tons of seamless pipe used in drilling, producing or transporting gas and oil.
More InformationThe Eagle Ford Shale boom has drawn thousands of workers, but it has also brought tragic, on-the-job deaths. A1
Also, an all-new Business Sunday with a focus on Eagle Ford.
Tenaris, which has its North American headquarters in Houston, operates globally. Its predecessor, Dalmine, began manufacturing pipe in Italy in 1909 and began operations in Mexico and Argentina in 1954.
Its U.S. operations include plants in Houston and Conroe.
Perry said the $6 million grant was among the largest ever from the Texas Enterprise Fund, one of two funds his office operates to generate economic development.
Both — the other is the Emerging Technology Fund — have spurred calls from legislators for more oversight after accusations that Perry has used the funds to reward political supporters.
But Perry and Matagorda County Judge Nate McDonald said the money from the fund was crucial to closing the deal with Tenaris, even though $6 million was only a fraction of the price of the plant, estimated at $1.3 billion to $1.5 billion. At that price, the grant is only about 0.5 percent of the total.
Perry said a number of other states were in the running but the ultimate choice came down to Matagorda County and Louisiana.
McDonald said local taxing entities offered tax abatements along with special deals for handling wastewater and other issues.
The $6 million grant was something Louisiana couldn't match, he said.
Curá said he and other Tenaris executives first met with Perry about seven months ago.
"You often talk about the benefits of doing business in Texas, and you and your staff have helped us see that," he told Perry during the announcement. "We were very impressed after that first meeting."
Perry said his office is working on other deals — he also talked briefly about his recent business recruiting trip to California — but said he's not sure any as large as the Tenaris deal will be completed by the end of the year.
"We don't win them all, but we win our fair share," he said.


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We welcome your feedback. For comments and suggestions regarding the Whatcom County website and the services we offer online, please contact the Web Administrator. We will endeavor to respond to your comments as soon as we are able.If your browser and email program are compatible, you may also use this form to let us know what you think or to report any problems.Thank you.
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Lily of the Valley Thank You Card
SUPPLIES: Cardstock: (True Black, Spring Moss, white, kraft) Papertrey Ink Clear stamps: (flowers from Year of Flowers: Lily of the Valley set; thank you from Inside & Out: Thank You set) Papertrey Ink; (lace borders from Borderline Vintage Lace set) Technique Tuesday Pigment ink: (Fresh Snow) Papertrey Ink Specialty ink: (Noir hybrid) Stewart Superior Corp. Color medium: (green, yellow markers) Copic Template: (polka dot embossing) Papertrey Ink Finished size: 5 1/2" x 4 1/4"
1 Make card from cardstock.
2 Stamp lace borders and thank you.
3 Stamp flowers on cardstock panel. Stamp again on cardstock; emboss and cut out leaves. Adhere leaves to panel and color flower stems.
4 Stamp flowers on cardstock, color, trim, and adhere to panel using foam tape.
5 Mat panel with cardstock and adhere using foam tape.
Designer Tips
More Sketch-Inspired Projects
Get inspired by more wonderful projects following sketches by Go-to Gal Kim Hughes. Check out the Go-to Sketches column in the November/December 2010 issue of Paper Crafts magazine.
Online Product Guide
For more information on supplies used in this project, click HERE to see our online product guide.
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Nov. 20, 2004
Chapel Hill, N.C. Forward Megan Kakadelas scored off an assist by forward Tina Estrada 31 seconds into the first overtime period to lift No. 4-ranked Santa Clara to a 1-0 victory over No. 1-ranked North Carolina in the third round of the 2004 NCAA Women¹s Soccer Tournament before 2,129 fans at Fetzer Field. The Tar Heels suffered their first loss since December 6, 2002 and finished the season 17-4-2 while the fourth-ranked Broncos improved to 17-4-2 and will now play in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals next weekend against the winner of the third round game between Nebraska and Illinois.
Despite a 19-4 edge in shots in regulation, including a 12-1 edge in the first half, the Tar Heels were unable to get a goal past Santa Clara goalkeeper Julie Ryder as she made nine saves. Eventually the Broncos were able to break through on their fifth shot after a turnover by the Tar Heel defense in the opening minute of the first overtime period. Estrada sent a through ball to Kakadelas who finished to the right of Tar Heel goalkeeper Aly Winget at 90:31. It was Kakadelas¹ seventh goal of the season.
The match marked only the second time this season UNC has been held scoreless. UNC was also held scoreless in a 0-0 tie with Tennessee on September 10, 2004 at Knoxville, Tenn.
The goal allowed by the Tar Heels was the first in an NCAA Tournament game since UNC lost to Santa Clara 2-1 in the NCAA semifinals on December 6, 2002 in Austin, Texas. That was also UNC¹s last loss. The Tar Heels were 47-0-2 since that loss to the Broncos.


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Local Roundup
U.S. Freestyle Championship volunteers needed
Heavenly is looking for volunteers for the U.S. Freestyle Championship running March 29 through 31.
For those in the community that would like to volunteer for the event, Heavenly and the USSA are looking for both on-snow and off-snow help. Volunteers are needed in mogul course and big air jump maintenance, banner set-up, food and beverage runners, registration, Zero Waste Warriors for the recycling team, and more. Shifts for various roles are available during the entire week up to the event, as well as during all three days of the event. No experience is needed. Volunteers receive lunch and a special gift for participating in three or more shifts. For more information or to sign up, please contact Tiffany at 530-542-5180.
Adult softball sign ups
The South Lake Tahoe Softball League is sponsoring an adult coed and men's league. A team meeting will be held at Steamers Bar and Grill on Wednesday, April 3, at 6 p.m. All returning teams can sign up on April 3. Any spots left will be open to new teams starting April 8. You can pick up your registration packets at Steamers Bar and Grill, The Sportsman next to the Grocery Outlet or City of South Lake Tahoe Parks and Recreation Department on 1180 Rufus Allen Blvd. any time after April 3. Those needing to get on a softball team should also call Jack, so that your name can be on the free agent list. For more information please call Jack at (530) 577-2405.
— Compiled by staff


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GTL Rays Style
I know almost everyone has heard of the phrase GTL made famous now by the MTV series "Jersey Shore". Well considering they did a stint in South Florida a few years ago, I am thinking we should do a small homage to the GTL events that members of the Tampa Bay Rays could have done for today's "off day". The original meaning of course was Gym, Tan and Laundry for the Seaside Heights, New Jersey crew, but I'm thinking the Port Charlotte, Florida regiment has their own versions of this classic phrasing.
Gas, Tan, Lotion: You know a few of the younger and single members of the Rays hit the area beaches since it is Spring Break for college students around the country. Since this region of SW Florida tends to have some of the best beaches in the country, it is only natural students would hit this region not only for the emerald waters and picture-perfect sunsets, but the allure of professional athletes possibly throwing a football or getting some extra tannage on the newly minted white domes.
Grate, Trowel, Luck: Just a few miles up the coast from Port Charlotte is Venice Beach. The reason I mention this is it has an activity at this peaceful beach that is special to this part of Florida, and it can be a great adventure for families or just a group of friends. It is shark tooth hunting, and it is as simple as it sounds. All you do is wade out into the estuary waterways scoop up a shovel load of bottom soil and sift it through a grate/filter system with the remnants and fine-toothed enamel teeth of long gone sharks materialize in the trays. Sure most can be of the small or even tiny variety, but every once in a while you can see a huge tooth of a species that used to not only swam this region, but possibly perished somewhere in land up the Peace or Alafia rivers.
Gig,Troll,Land 'em: Several members of the Rays PR Department today hit the Boca Grande flats and open waters to fish, relax and sue it as their own bonding moment themselves. Just like the Rays squad, these guys will be together over that 180 day stretch and finding common ground, landing a few tasty lunch morsels and getting some Sun on their own newly mowed heads will do wonders come April.
Grip, Tee, Links: Considering so many of the Rays also are pretty good on the golf links, you could easily see the likes of B J Upton, David Price, James Shield, Matt Joyce and even Evan Longoria tee up a few at one of the local golf courses. With a day off, the links can be a great way to just have fun at a leisurely pace, kick back and clown a bit with friends and just enjoy a hot and humid Florida Spring day. Problem is, will these crews allow mulligans?
Grease, Tighten, Loosen: Who knows, maybe Rays skipper Joe Maddon could have gotten a few of his squad to help him do a bit of fix-up on his new '55 Chevy. I remember someone telling me earlier the new ride had some spongy brakes, and this could be an additional bonding moment as Maddon, maybe a few of his staff and a player or two tinkering under the hood of a car most people can fix without a CPU system. I know I would have volunteered for that duty.
I know a majority of the team possibly just slept in later, did errands and adventures with their family, possibly doing some breakfast in one of the quaint and great restaurants in the region before embarking on day trips or even just lounging out enjoying the sights and sounds of their families. This was a needed moment for this team as a day like this can do so much to recharge and energize a team as they begin to enter the stretch run of the Grapefruit League season or as I like to call it Grapefruit, Tangerine and Lemon league. That's my version of Spring GTL.