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|General Projects Feedback and Suggestions Thread
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|1 2 3 4
|Nov 5 2013 Anchor
Hello gals and guys!
The thread by Grim_Jester (https://www.moddb.com/forum/thread/play-test-for-me-and-i-will-return-the-favor) inspired me to open up a more general feedback thread. The basic idea is to give feedback and suggestions to the person above and then share your own mod/game/project, which will then receive feedback in return by the next poster, who will also share their content, and so on. So you review the content above and get a review in return! The only rule is there needs to be some alpha or beta content; an idea or concept alone is not enough.
Because of tldr I did not read any of the other comments. I just went in and played. I must say, your game is already quite addictive! I played way longer than ten minutes thats for sure. Even though it's based on an ancient game it feels fresh nonetheless. I was a bit intimidated by the menu at first, but, taking into account you are at an early stage, I figured out what to do fairly quickly. If anything, the interface could be a little less, errr, text based.
With that said I'd love to see the upgrades have a visual effect on the ship, i.e. increased weapon strength = longer barrel etc.
I'm also gonna go ahead and assume the enemy AI will be moving left and right rather than going in a straight path? Another thing that could be better is that I could often manage to kill the front rows of enemies but than the rear would be too close to hit and I'm forced to just let them pass by. Seems like the ships could be spread out a little more, or clustered in smaller groups. You might want to consider some small v formations to make the gameplay less repetitive. Think smaller waves within the waves.
Now one reason which made it a bit more tedious to play is the strange size of the game window. Could you somehow make it go fullscreen?
Some suggestions/ideas:
Oh by the way this is a pretty damn difficult game! Might wanna ease it up a bit for the early levels (one hit kills at first pls).
If I think of more I will add it to this post.
I'd love to get some early feedback on my Far Cry custom singleplayer campaign, ZDAY. The videos total in at about 9 minutes.
Thank you!
Edited by: GC_Vos
|Nov 9 2013 Anchor
Good idea for a thread...similar to feedback fridays on reddit. I don't currently have a project I can show off, but I'm watching through your videos.
That said, I love the gameplay video. I haven't actually played Far Cry, but the different elements of gameplay available make for a really awesome zombie survival game...namely the ability to sneak through various situations, instead of always running and gunning. The map is impressive! Do you have any plans for different zombie animations? or is that getting too complicated? They look a bit casual hanging out, haha.
|Nov 9 2013 Anchor
Thanks for your feedback! Just send me a message if you do have content you want to share.
Audio is a totally valid point and I'm actually kind of glad you brought it up. I do not have many other sources for sound effects but L4D. I've searched websites like freesounds but I have yet to find a good quality substitute. So if you have any suggestions feel free to share them.
I will probably be doing VO myself; I may also try to find a voice actor when the time is right. The script and storyline need some work first.
I'm not a modder myself (I consider myself a level designer) but I do think animations are hardcoded into the game i.e. they can't be changed.
If anybody else wants to share their content feel free!
|Nov 9 2013 Anchor
This is a good thread, pinned!
|Nov 9 2013 Anchor
I have a few ideas... audio is what I do for a living! haha. I wouldn't mind helping out on my free time, if you're interested. I consider monstrous creatures to be some of the most fun things to design sound for. That and creepy ambiances. The zombie genre is definitely my cup of tea, as it were.
Gotcha, wasn't sure if that was something where you could reference figure animation scripts from a different game or something.
Edited by: BombadeerStudios
|Nov 10 2013 Anchor
Thanks for the offer! I left you a message
No scripting in Dunia unfortunately. Would be awesome though!
|Feb 17 2014 Anchor
I'm sad to say that due to tunnel vision, I missed a thread that I helped inspire! I'll add it to my watched threads list.
Unfortunately, this has stalled at the moment. Let's fix that. Bombadeer was the last person to put something up, so here it goes:
Bombadeer, I checked out your monstrous creatures vid. I played Half Life a long time ago, so I don't remember the vocals, but your vocals seem to be as good. Considering that you only used your voice, you deserve extra points for that. I'm sure that a big studio has a lot more people involved.
Your horrorscape, Halloween track was fitting for the genre. I feel like it's pro quality, but I think the real test is to hear it in a game that you've been playing for 20 hours. If it isn't grating on you, then it's awesome! Have you worked on any titles that I know about?
Is your site down? The link isn't working.
I am still working on It Never Ends. I'm at demo 15 which you can check out here:
I update every two weeks. Next Sunday's update will feature a huge, in game, hints section, a hi score table, player ranking and as many achievements as I can fit in.
Let's keep this thread alive. If you want feedback (and you really should), it's only fair that you pay for it. In this forum, we should all have a passion for game development in common, so let's at least share our opinions.
|Feb 18 2014 Anchor
Let's revive this thread, shall we?
Bombadeer, I know it's like, 3 months late, but... your Halloween track is beautiful. It fits the theme and it did manage to make me feel... chilly... by listening to it. As for the VO, I can only say: good job.
As for the Grim_Jester... wow, that's massive change compared to your old demos. I see that you get rid of multiple systems, leaving us with only 3 of them. How good is that change... I actually don't know.
With that out of the way, I have a request of my own...
In the meanwhile, I've been working on something simpler:
|Feb 18 2014 Anchor
Hey there
Here is the Trailer: Youtube.com
Thanks for your Time
|Feb 19 2014 Anchor
Theocade. I responded to your original post in the other thread. I'm glad to see that you made it here. To sum up my last response, it looks good. Can the player become snow blind? I'm also wondering if the game has anything to do with surviving the cold, or are you simply lost?
Is there a demo we can try?
Aurioch: I hope you finish Tank City. A break is all you need, but if you wait too long, you know what might happen!
I played Bouncy Ball. At first I thought it was not my type of game (I usually need a theme, and dislike pure reflex games), but something made me stick with it. The first few levels have a nice level of challenge and a reasonable learning curve. The levels are designed to teach you as you play, and there's quite a bit of skill acquisition as you re-attempt each level. The quick restarts and limitless lives help limit frustration. This means that each time that I play a level, I get a little bit better. I like that.
Unfortunately, I hit my limit where you do that long dodging drop down the left side, and then have to do a series of horizontal bounces across the bottom. I think it's the 4th level. I found the horizontal section extremely difficult, and quit out of frustration. Being able to choose power ups might help a player who dislikes a certain aspect of your game overcome "unreasonable" levels (this is sort of like the Nuke in my game). Instead of lives, the player can have access to certain limited modes that allows him or her to break game rules.
|Mar 2 2014 Anchor
Damn Bouncy Ball is addictive... But man is it unforgiving as well! It's probably me but I find those horizontal corridors in the first level are hard to get through. I've been playing for almost 20 minutes and I keep failing in the zigzag bends. But again it's very addictive already. Perhaps add a simple opening level?
Autumn looks very stylized! I like the desaturated look and going for bright grey instead of the usual darkness. Do you have any gameplay online? Also does the entire game take place in the park/forrest or do you escape from it eventually?
I played version 16 and it's much improved from the last time I played it. I see you've further improved the interface and added a lot of different ships. Love the
We've got the first open beta gameplay videos of Dead Cry (previously known as Z-Day) online:
Edited by: GC_Vos
|Mar 3 2014 Anchor
Gee, I'm suprised that people actually like that simple concept
Autumn trailer looks beautiful during the first part (one near the house). And for the second part... I like as well that it's rather desaturated as opposed to "almost complete darknesssssss" most survival horrors these days are going for.
I don't know why, but Dead Cry reminds me of Quake. Truth be told, I didn't play Far Cry (no money as student + not that much interested in FPS games anymore), but Dead Cry has piqued my interest. Just one question - will the whole game (mod) be that dark?
|Mar 4 2014 Anchor
Well the mod does darken the overall look of the game. Far Cry 3 is quite bright by default. With that said, this is one of the darkest levels, along with the swamp which is almost pitch black. Other levels take place during the day and are much brighter. This is also part of our goal to make each level unique and different: Youtube.com
Edited by: GC_Vos
|Mar 11 2014 Anchor
Wee, I've managed to roll a new build, and changed name into something that could become more appropriate.
This demo features easier levels, two new tricks, functional Options menu and one nice suprise (no, not graphical update). I hope that next version I'll manage to get or make some decent sprites. For suprise, let's just say that I made F1 and F2 functional. Also, I've refrained myself from making too big levels as my level editor has many quirks I need to remove before proceeding.
As always, feedback is welcomed. I also have 3 questions: is it game fun, and should I make an entry for it here on IndieDB. And would you like to see it on Linux, MacOS, Android and iOS.
|Apr 16 2014 Anchor
Facebook.com ChopperYour mission today - STAY ALIVE !!The most awaited helicopter game free! The gameplay is very simple. Touching the screen will accelerate the helicopter to move up and releasing the touch will drop the copter down. You shoud avoid the helicopter touching the Hurdles and the walls of the cave on top and bottom.Featuring:- Simple play, tap anywhere on the screen to fly- Global Leaderboards- Cute graphic style- Gameplay recordingBe a Top scorer, and challenge your friends!!Available on the App Store.https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/just-chopper/id854833319?l=ko&ls=1&mt=8by&at=1010lpjS Cookieplease.
|May 13 2014 Anchor
Hello everyone,
We are a new start up and just began running three Fistful of Frags games on our servers.
Is there any suggestions that the community has for us. We are working towards a full launch in the next few weeks so any ideas are valued.
|Jun 12 2014 Anchor
Seems cool.
My new project.
Any feedback appreciated
|Aug 8 2014 Anchor
Hello everyone,
|Oct 16 2014 Anchor
Hey everyone. I want to share a little bit info about my 3D platformer I am working on. I think this genre is dying now and It is my favorite genre by the way, remember all good times playing ps1,ps2 Waiting for comments- opinions, critics and advices! Thanks. I plan to make a IndieDB Page with this game and post game progress
First gameplay video (Controls test)
Some screens:
|Oct 28 2014 Anchor
Edited by: Tim_Z
|Nov 9 2014 Anchor
Hello Tim_Z, I tried out your BubbleApp and it looks like a fun first game with a lot going on.
We are actually working on our first game too. It's called Sol Avenger. We have a trailer on youtube and of course on quantumforgegames.com
In Sol Avenger, a united Earth has begun to colonize our solar system. You can choose between a male and female pilot, and both happen to be far from Earth when craft of unknown origin lay siege to our precious blue ball, and one by one the rest of the planets in our solar system fall under Bivalvian alien control. Your pilot will explore the sandbox world of Sol Avenger. Do the storyline at your leisure and when you are on the go, you can enjoy all the expansive universe has to offer.
So we have done a lot of research about the best times to release a kickstarter and we have decided on early 2015, in February. Depending on how well we do, the game will be released at some time that year. The game certainly is in alpha and it plays really well both on pc and out Galaxy phones. One of the really promising aspects is it is already fun to us, as well as other gamers we have let play it.
So this will the first post of many. We are really excited to see the community interest and get people to take a look at Sol Avenger.
|Dec 17 2014 Anchor
Hey everyone! Thank you for this thread as it helps indie developers like ourselves showcase our games/projects to a wider audience around the world
I just released an Android (iOS in January) arcade beat em' up 2D game just a week ago titled "Momentum" where players fight off endless waves of enemies by swiping or double-tapping them. The challenge is that players have a depleting Momentum bar overtime and to prevent the player's Momentum from hitting zero, they have to fight. A queue of moves will be displayed at the top and players have to perform the moves in the main square in order to gain Momentum.
Here is my game on the Google Play Store This is the basic concept of my game when I first drafted it out. I assure you more updates will roll in including tweaking the game's mechanics, enhancements to make the game feel better and more content like new modes, environments and maybe skins! (and of course bug fixes)
I hope y'all can give my game a shot and provide feedback on my game on how it could be improved or just general comments/compliments I'm an entry-level indie developer from Singapore and this is my first game. Our game industry here is still extremely young, let alone the indie game community. I hope to trail blaze indie game development and inspire like-minded folks in my home country by starting off on this path and I hope y'all can help me on this journey
|Dec 23 2014 Anchor
|Mar 5 2015 Anchor
Let's start again with the approach of GC_Vos and some useable feedback to the above projects.
I also watched your current video and took some notes
And yeah! Show me more ships, weapons and abilities. In your video, give me a quick tour on what will be in the final game or what will I be able to unlock etc...
->-> I'm now
All in All the game feels good. No lags, no graphic errors, small and simple installation. I would also accept some advertisements between the levels. I don't know if you monetize it in some way?
I would love to see more levels, level up my hero, perhaps have the option to unlock one ability per level and do some other cool action jumps and kicks.
->-> I'm now
Those two tests and texts took me 27 minutes, including playing one of the games. Hopefully some of you guys find the same time for all the other projects as well or for my one .
It combines the players passion for Hero Units from "Dota" with the beloved tactical fighting and moving behaviors from Starcraft - but without any waiting times for matches to begin!
We aim for first gameplay tests in June/July. To get news about the upcoming tests enlist now for our newsletter.
or follow our social portals.
Very excited to hear your thoughts!
Edited by: Meister_Wolo
Use this chance to support a highly innovative tactic game. No other strategy game allows you to connect in a running session without having some huge disadvantages ingame. Submerge offers you no more waiting time in the lobby and no more searching for players. If there is a running game you can just join without handicap. Play the way like it still exist in many third person shooters.
|Mar 7 2015 Anchor
I'm interested in teaming up with some other people dedicated enough to work on a Dune mod. I've been considering how the experiences would differ depending on the game used. I've been considering these but am open to others:
Mount and Blade:Warband
I am not code-savvy but I am particularly interested in story and other content. My friends who make their own games don't share my connection with the Dune books and this should be a project from passion.
Firstly, how does someone connect with the necessary people to make this happen?
I'll make a thread for this if there is any interest shown, but I'd love to get people's input into what they'd like to see happen or be avoided.
Only registered members can share their thoughts. So come on! Join the community today (totally free - or sign in with your social account on the right) and join in the conversation.


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Top Ten Quotes by SRILA PRABHUPADA on Japa
1) Any person who is chanting the holy names of Krishna in course of time feels transcendental pleasure and very quickly becomes purified of all material contamination."
2) Simply by properly doing our japa daily, we can be freed from the reactions to all sinful activities.
3) We cannot become fully Krishna conscious without chanting good quality rounds daily. Chanting is the most powerful way to become Krishna conscious.
4) Our strength is in following the regulative principles and chanting 16 rounds japa.
5) Everyone begins his devotional life from the neophyte stage, but if one properly finishes chanting the prescribed number of rounds of hari-nama, he is elevated step by step to the highest platform, uttama-adhikari. – Nectar of Instruction
6) Of all the regulative principles, the spiritual master's order to chant at least sixteen rounds is most essential.
7) Minimum 16 rounds have to be chanted. Constant chanting should be our goal.
8) When Japa is not done with love and attention there is often no observable spiritual or material result. However this same Japa, done with love and attention, will enable us to perform all other devotion practices in pure a manner, also with love and attention. –
9) There is no such requirement that japa should be done silently and chanting should be done differently. Loudly or silently, everything is all right. There is no such restriction. Only thing is that we should chant very attentively, hearing the vibration very distinctly.
10) Your japa beads are your ticket back to Godhead.

subset: commoncrawl


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Become an eBay Seller
EBay. Everyone has heard of it. Most of us have even purchased something from it at least once. But you can also get it on the selling side and make a decent income.
It's very easy to get started selling. Just log into the site and it will walk you through the entire process. Anyone can do it. What will set you apart from those who barely make any money and turn you into a Power Seller is knowing what to sell and how to list it.
How do you find something to sell? Well, I first recommend you look around your own home. If there are things you have that you just have no room for or no longer use, list them one eBay. Besides possibly making some money, you will get practice setting up listings and working with buyers. Once you have gotten some experience with the site - and cleaned out your closets, garage, and attic - it will be time to look at what else you can sell to make a nice income.
You can sell almost anything. There are some prohibited items so be sure you check that list before you set up your listing. If you don't know what to sell, they provide a service that will tell you what's hot on their site right now. You can purchase items elsewhere and then resell them. Or you can make your own products and sell them. If the thought of having to ship out products once they have been purchased does not appeal to you, you can check out drop shippers.
Once you have items to sell, you simply list them and you are in business. But listing your items so they will actually sell takes a bit of skill. Fortunately, it's a skill you can learn. There are hundreds of books, videos, coaches, and courses all promising to teach you how. Frankly, if you want to learn all you need to know, skip all the "gurus" and learn from eBay itself. They provide wonderful resources to help you learn. After all, they want you to be as successful as possible since they make money every time you sell something. Boomer Business Ideas Home Internet Business Ideas eBay
New! CommentsHave your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below.


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Why Join First Bank?
Our mission is to provide our Clients with exceptional service coupled with competitive rates and products without bureaucracy. We understand that banking today is more challenging than yesterday, but as a family business, we understand the advantage of being able to remain visionary and focused on the long term picture.
The Bank seeks individuals who are professional and possess exceptional communication and client-service skills, along with superb problem solving and follow-up abilities. Ideal candidates will be hardworking team players who take initiative to help the Bank prosper while growing personally as a strong professional. First Bank offers an exceptional benefits program and a highly competitive compensation package.
Alternative Methods to Apply
Fax: (847) 897-7666
Equal Opportunity Employer: disability/veteran


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Advisory Board
Converus Advisory Board
Bringing a Wealth of Industry Experience to the Table
As practitioners and scientists, the Converus Advisory Board members are authorities in their respective vocations and add decades of experience and knowledge to the team.
Don Krapohl
Don Krapohl is one of the world's leading experts on credibility assessment. He's currently the Director of Educational Services for Capital Center for Credibility Assessment, a company that provides services to the U.S. federal government. Previously, Don was a Special Assistant to the Chief at the National Center for Credibility Assessment (NCAA) and was a longtime editor of the American Polygraph Association quarterly publication, "Polygraph." He also co-authored the 2015 book, "Fundamentals of Polygraph Practice." He's an expert in criminal justice, internal investigations, criminal investigations, interrogation, expert testimony and more.
Krapohl holds a Master of Arts in Psychology from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan.
Charles Honts
Charles Honts, Ph.D., is internationally recognized as one of the world's top experts on credibility assessment — especially regarding interrogation and false confessions. He's published and/or presented more than 300 scientific papers on deception detection and was co-editor (along with Converus Science Team members Drs. John Kircher and David Raskin) on the 2014 book, "Credibility Assessment." Dr. Honts, a trained polygraph examiner, has also given expert testimony on interrogation and false confession, eyewitness identification, and the forensic interviewing of children in courts worldwide more than 100 times. In addition, he's delivered lectures internationally.
He's currently a professor of psychology at Boise State University. His research focuses on credibility assessment with adults and children and on confession and false confession phenomena. He also maintains a private consulting practice. Dr. Honts previously worked for the Department of Defense as a research team leader, taught at University of North Dakota, and served as president of the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association. Honts received his Ph.D. in Psychology at the University of Utah.
Darryl Bullens
Darryl Bullens has worked in polygraph since 2001 and has conducted more than 8,000 criminal or governmental polygraph examinations. He's the CEO of San Diego-based Forensic Technologies and former president of the California Association of Polygraph Examiners. His company conducts polygraph examinations and digital forensic investigations for governmental agencies, attorneys and private citizens. In addition, he regularly serves an an expert witness in state and federal courts. Darryl has specialized training in MAC Forensic Analysis, Advanced Smartphone Forensics, Windows Forensic Analysis, Advanced JTAG Mobile Device Forensics, Cellebrite Certified Physical Analyst, Cellebrite Certified Logical Operator, Cell Phone Technology & Forensic Data Recovery Certification, and more.
Previously he was a special agent for the Virginia State Police and a state trooper for the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Darryl has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Global Studies from National University in San Diego, California and an Associate of Science in Criminology from Roane State Community College in Harriman, Tennessee.
Pamela Meyer
Pamela Meyer quickly rose to prominence in the deception detection world, first with her 2010 best-selling book, "Liespotting: Proven Techniques to Detect Deception," followed by her 2011 TED talk, "How to Spot a Liar," which now has nearly 16 million views and is one of the 20 most popular TED talks of all time. She is CEO of Calibrate, a consultancy that trains financial institutions, insurance providers, law firms and human resource professionals worldwide on inside threat mitigation, verbal and non-verbal cues to deception, facial micro-expression interpretation, advanced interrogation techniques, and information elicitation. She has extensive training in the use of visual cues and psychology of detect deception. Her mission is to help people become more accurate at finding the truth.
Today, Pam speaks globally on deception detection, inside threats, ethics and negotiation. She has been featured on many media outlets, including NPR, CNN, CNBC, ABC and in Forbes, Bloomberg Businessweek, The Washington Post, the New York Post and Harvard Business Review. She also writes regularly for The Huffington Post and her blog, liespotting.com. Pam holds a Master's in Business Administration from Harvard, a Master of Arts in Public Policy from Claremont Graduate School, and is a Certified Fraud Examiner.
Jayson Ahern
Jayson Ahern, an expert in homeland and border security management, is the newest member of the Converus Advisory Board. As a 33-year law enforcement professional and the former acting head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the Department of Homeland Security, Ahern was responsible for securing, managing and controlling our nation's borders.
Ahern is currently a principal and head of security services at The Chertoff Group, a Washington, D.C.-based global advisory firm focused on security and risk management. In this role, he advises clients on a broad range of issues including homeland and border security management, global commerce and supply chain security, critical infrastructure protection, risk management, and strategic planning and implementation.
Converus ("with truth") provides scientifically validated credibility assessment technologies that help protect countries, corporations and communities from corruption, crime and threats.


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Plot of land near mountain.
It is one of 7 plots on the land of Yovkovtsi peninsula, located 9 km from the town of Elena, 50 km from Veliko Turnovo. Elena is situated on the mountain valley of the same name. It is a picturesque town, which has preserved its ancient Revival appearance up to date.
The town developed as an architecture and historical town-museum.
Yovkovtsi Dam spreads its waters west of Elena. It is a perfect site for recreation, sunbathing, water sports and fishing.
The plot of 2500 sq.m. is near the asphalt road and regulated area. it costs 5 EUR per sq.m.
The property offers great panoramic view towards the dam and the forest.


text: We carried out a case study in a wave physics course at a Swedish university in order to investigate the relations between the representations used in the lessons and the experience of meaning making in interview–discussions. The grounding of these interview–discussions also included obtaining a rich description of the lesson environment in terms of the communicative approaches used and the students' preferences for modes of representations that best enable meaning making. The background for this grounding was the first two lessons of a 5-week course on wave physics (70 students). The data collection for both the grounding and the principal research questions consisted of video recordings from the first two lessons: a student questionnaire of student preferences for representations (given before and after the course) and video-recorded interview–discussions with students (seven pairs and one on their own). The results characterize the use of communicative approaches, what modes of representation were used in the lectures, and the trend in what representations students' preferred for meaning making, all in order to illustrate how students engage with these representations with respect to their experienced meaning making. Interesting aspects that emerged from the study are discussed in terms of how representations do not, in themselves, necessarily enable a range of meaning making; that meaning making from representations is critically related to how the representations get situated in the learning environment; and how constellations of modes of disciplinary discourse may be necessary but not always sufficient. Finally, pedagogical comments and further research possibilities are presented.


text:
The day is finally here: After thirteen months of remodeling and repairs that followed storm damage last spring, Don and Dora D'Andrea are welcoming guests back to their Littleton Taco House at 1390 West Littleton Boulevard. The doors opened at 11 a.m. for lunch today, and the restaurant's new hours will be from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. daily (8:30 p.m. for the drive-though and 4 p.m. on Sundays).
Taco House first came to Littleton in the 1960s, taking over a building that had gotten its start as a burger joint in 1961. Dora has worked for Taco House on and off since 1966; she and Don purchased the south suburban outpost nine years ago.
Don notes that the kitchen is actually a little smaller after the remodel, with fewer electrical outlets, so breakfast burrito service, which originally began at 9 a.m., won't be available until an electrician installs more outlets (which should be this week) and additional equipment can be added.
The dining room has all-new drywall and a polished concrete floor (instead of carpeting, which had to be replaced regularly) and the exterior sports a bright yellow coat of paint. The D'Andreas are expecting sign-makers to put up grand-opening banners as soon as the rain stops, so head to Littleton to help welcome back a piece of history serving cheap, honest food from a bygone era.
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From the 1st April 2018, it will be unlawful to let a property that breaches the minimum energy performance rating of E on an Energy Performance Certificate, unless there is a sufficient exemption.
Worryingly, a new survey has revealed that 49% of landlords do not feel adequately informed on how to make these improvements to their property.
Energy Efficiency
The survey from E.ON suggests that landlords will not only struggle to make their property compliant with minimum EPC rating regulations, but could also miss out on other benefits linked to this compliance.
Those landlords who are members of the Residential Landlords Association will be pleased to learn that the trade body has managed to secure a £1.5m funding pot from E.ON, in order to supplement these improvements.
Giving his reaction, Andrew Goodacre, Chief Executive of the RLA, said: 'The RLA is delighted to secure the £1.5m of funded works from E.ON for landlords to install the vital energy efficiency improvements. These funded works will benefit qualifying landlords by easing the upfront costs of improvement works and tenants through reduced energy bills.'
'Hundreds of thousands of properties are not currently meeting the minimum standards set to be introduced next April and we would urge any landlords who believe they fit the criteria to get in touch to find out exactly what they are eligible for.'[1]
Improvement Funding
The agreement, which runs until 30th September 2018, sees qualifying landlords able to apply to E.ON to gain funding to carry out any necessary improvement works to their rental properties.
This funding is aimed at landlords with tenants in receipt of benefits and whose properties come under the required EPC rating. All works are available subject to a property survey and a benefit assessment.
Qualifying benefits for the funding include:
- Pension Credit – Guarantee Credit
- Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit
- Employment and Support Allowance (Income Based)
- Income Support
- Universal Credit
RLA landlords can apply for:
- Free Cavity Wall and Loft Insulation
- Funding towards costs of E.ON installing external wall insulation for solid wall accommodation
- Funding towards the cost of E.ON installing a boiler upgrade or replacement
Nigel Dewbery, head of energy efficiency at E.ON, stated: 'Whether landlords have in the past been put off by the perceived hassle, expense, or their own lack of knowledge around the subject of energy efficiency, the clock is definitely ticking on the need to improve properties and we're really pleased to be working with the RLA to support members to prepare for the new legislation.'
'In a recent survey, we found over a quarter (28%) of landlords said they feel worried about the cost of making their property compliant. To answer this we've developed a range of services to give them the support they need, from online account management that allows landlords to better control their property portfolios through to a range of insulation and heating services to make rented properties more energy efficient.'
'We hope working with the RLA will enable us to support landlords with a range of funding options to bring down the costs of achieving the standards whatever measures they require to upgrade their property.'
[1] https://www.landlordtoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2017/9/funding-available-to-help-landlords-install-vital-energy-efficiency-improvements


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Living Arroyo
Living Arroyos is an organization that aims to treat the Livermore-Amador watersheds and increase their riparian plant life. Under the supervision of organizer Felicia Walls and her team of interns, volunteers plant trees and pick out invasive species. This Saturday, GLI organized a group of 13 volunteers to participate in the environmental program. We started working right after a short introduction to our task, which the organizers made easy to understand through example. We dugs holes and planted four different types of trees, each labeled with different colored flags. With the other volunteers hard work and efficiency, we were able to plant a total of 167 trees within a timespan of three hours. It was a great experience overall, and was definitely worth the work.
For those of you who are interested in Living Arroyos, the event has been organized periodically from November and will have its last event in April.


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Commercial Irrigation
Commercial Irrigation Systems
We provide full service commercial irrigation systems throughout the Piedmont Triad region of NC, including the Lake Norman and Charlotte areas. Irrigation is an important way to keep your grass healthy. Irrigation sustains soil moisture, which is necessary for the germination of flower and grass seeds. Irrigation is also good for root growth as they grow best in moist soil.
Additionally, water is important for the absorption of minerals and nutrients from the soil. Water provides oxygen and hydrogen to the plant, which are two key elements to healthy grass. Watering your flowers and grass regularly is extremely important if you want them to remain healthy looking and vibrant.
Commercial irrigation systems offer peace of mind, both making it faster and easier to hydrate large areas and also removing the burden of remembering to do it regularly. Automatic sprinkler systems are the way to go if you've invested in landscaping for your commercial property to ensure everything stays looking its best.
We offer irrigation system installation and maintenance in the High Point, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Lake Norman and Charlotte areas so call us today if you need a sprinkler system for your commercial property!


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If you have been following my blog for awhile, you'll know I love Feliciano Lopez for his good looks. But I have to give him the thumbs down here for his, er, retarded look (sorry!).
Not everyone can look good wearing baseball cap backward. But Nicolas Lapentti can make it look so hot!
Fernando Gonzalez has quite a hairy situation here. But Juan Martin del Potro's is pretty decent and good enough.
I don't know why Dinara Safina keeps reminding me of the wicked witch in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Drawfs. If only the aspiring world no. 1 soften her facial expression a bit like Ana Ivanovic.
(Images via Yahoo! Sport)


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SKALA SIKAMINEAS, Greece — The first dinghy landed at about 5:45 p.m., on a rocky shore near a remote Greek fishing village. After the thirteenth arrived about 35 minutes later, 547 migrants had landed, in broad daylight, within a few yards of each other on the Greek island of Lesbos.
That flotilla on Aug. 29 repeated a pattern not seen here since early 2016, when the European Union pledged more than $ 6 billion to Turkey, which lies within view of Lesbos, to tighten its border patrols and keep migrants out of Europe.
In the years since, only one or two refugee boats have typically made it to this stretch of Greek coast each day, substantially easing Europe's migration crisis. But that rhythm changed this August, the busiest month in more than three years, feeding fears of a new wave of mass migration across the Aegean Sea.
The rate of arrivals is still just a fraction of the 2015 peak, when Lesbos was the busiest European entry point for migrants — primarily people fleeing the Syrian civil war. Last month, nearly 10,000 migrants arrived in all of Greece; in October 2015, at the height of the crisis, more than 210,000 did.
But the recent surge comes as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey threatens once again to allow high numbers of migrants to make their way through Turkey to Greece, should European politicians fail to provide Turkey with further financial support, or dismiss his plans to extend Turkish influence in northern Syria.
"This either happens," Mr. Erdogan said in a speech last week, "or otherwise we will have to open the gates."
The August increase shows this may not be an idle threat. But if he intends to create a new refugee crisis for Europe, Mr. Erdogan has fewer tools to work with than he did in 2015, when Syrian refugees found it easier to enter Turkey.
Turkey has since completed a border wall and has imposed restrictions on Syrians traveling from Lebanon or Jordan. Any relaxation of those controls, admitting more people — even if only to use Turkey as a bridge to Europe — would be politically risky for Mr. Erdogan.
But 3.6 million Syrian refugees already live in Turkey, the world's largest expatriate Syrian population, along with hundreds of thousands from other countries. If Turkey makes life untenable for them, or relaxes efforts to keep them out of Europe, the effect could be dramatic.
"Erdogan's recent comments on unleashing a new refugee wave are a product of his growing frustration with the huge number already in Turkey," said Bulent Aliriza, director of the Turkey project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based research group.
"It is unlikely that there is a fully thought-through master plan ready for implementation," he added.
The fact that Turkish smugglers were able to gather so many people on Aug. 29 and send them to Greece in such quick succession has raised questions about Turkish state complicity.
Turkey's Coast Guard, normally fairly active in these waters, did not respond that afternoon to repeated requests for intervention by their Greek counterparts, according to Refugee Rescue, a small private lifeboat organization that helps stricken migrants and has access to maritime communications.
Turkish vessels also stuck to a pattern of morning patrols throughout August, even as smugglers repeatedly sent refugees to Greece in the afternoon.
"What we found weird was that this was a trend, and they didn't change the way they operated to try to stop this," said Finn Sands-Robinson, who leads Refugee Rescue's land-based observation team.
A senior Turkish official, who insisted that his name not be used, denied that Turkish authorities had turned a blind eye to smugglers.
Mr. Erdogan's government stepped up the deportation of Syrians from Turkey this summer, and it was widely assumed that this crackdown caused the rise in departures to Greece.
But more than 80 percent of the migrants who landed in Lesbos in August were from Afghanistan. Increasingly precarious conditions in Turkey and Iran, where at least a million Afghans live in exile, as well as in Afghanistan itself, have led many Afghan refugees to head for Europe.
Gholam Reza Salahi, a 25-year-old Afghan laborer who has lived most of his life in Iran, said he decided to go to Greece after being deported for the fourth time from Iran to Afghanistan.
"We'd be smuggled back to Iran, and then deported again," he said. "And that happened too many times."
As a member of the Hazara ethnic group, who are persecuted by the Taliban, he felt he could not stay in his parents' country. Nor did Turkey feel like a plausible sanctuary: Ankara has deported 32,000 Afghans so far this year, far more than any other national group.
Europe felt like the safest bet, said Mr. Reza Salahi, who reached Lesbos in late August.
Just 5 percent of migrants arriving in Lesbos last month were from Syria, suggesting that few Syrians yet feel anxious enough to leave Turkey. But the testimonies of new Syrian arrivals provide a hint of what might be to come.
A group of families from northern Syria, huddled in a tent on a Greek hillside, had for seven years refused to flee their neighborhood despite regular air raids, the destruction of their homes and schools, and the deaths of many relatives and friends.
But this summer, they finally decided to leave Jabal al-Zawiya, a rebel stronghold, because of a sharp escalation in airstrikes and the likely recapture of the area by President Bashar al-Assad's forces.
"The Assad army, when they take a place, they burn it," said Obeida al-Nassouh, a shopkeeper who said he had paid $ 3,500 for his family to be smuggled through a secret tunnel to Turkey, and then onward to Lesbos. "They don't care if you're a civilian or a soldier, they just burn it."
Fighting has intensified in Idlib, a Syrian province bordering Turkey, prompting more people to try to leave.
The enormous number of Syrians already in Turkey provokes considerable resentment within Mr. Erdogan's political base, and he is keen to cut the refugee population.
Youssef al-Hassan, 44, a recent arrival to Lesbos, had for seven years been content to stay in Turkey, where his family lived in poverty but at least felt safe from Mr. Assad's forces.
But this summer's deportations of Syrians persuaded Mr. al-Hassan that even Turkey was no longer safe.
"We felt like in the next five minutes they could come and throw us out," he said a few hours after landing in Greece. "The situation is such that many are going to come."
True or not, even a small increase in arrivals compounds the misery of refugees in Greece.
In 2015, new arrivals could move swiftly toward the Greek mainland, and then onward to Germany. But today, migrants are contained on the Greek islands, mostly in overcrowded and squalid camps that seem out of place on the world's richest continent.
On Lesbos, about 10,000 people have been crammed into Moria, a camp built for just 3,100. Though the European Union has allocated around $ 1.9 billion to the Greek government to subsidize refugee welfare, Greece has refused to improve the facilities for fear of encouraging more migrants.
Residents here sometimes spend up to year living in tattered tents, and up to 12 hours a day waiting in line for food, which often runs out before everyone is served.
"Every day we queue for hours and they say: 'There's nothing left,' ," said Reza Salahi. "And that's the case for about a quarter of us."
Raw sewage sometimes leaks into tents, while fights and sexual assaults are a regular occurrence. Overwhelmed medical workers struggle to treat a soaring number of patients.
Coupled with seemingly interminable asylum procedures, all this has created what aid workers see as a mental health crisis among refugees on the island. Since July, the number of children with severe mental health issues has more than doubled to 73, according to Doctors Without Borders.
An Afghan mother, Sohaila Hajizadeh, who fled to Greece after the Taliban attacked her family's home, said she had frequently been turned away by doctors when seeking treatment for her teenage son, who has severe psychological trauma. From wrist to shoulder, the boy's arms are covered in self-inflicted knife wounds.
Unaccompanied children are particularly at risk. Officially, there are 747 refugee children on Lesbos, living without their parents, and provided with secure accommodation by the authorities. But poor registration processes mean that there are more parentless children living undocumented in the camp.
One such youth, Mohammed al-Othman, 16, lives in a cramped tent, together with 12 other people from his home province in Syria. He left Syria in August after his school was bombed; his mother had only enough money to smuggle one family member, so Mohammed went alone.
Since arriving in Greece, he has not received treatment for four shrapnel wounds sustained during a recent airstrike.
"The treatment is very bad," he said. "They just asked me: How old are you, are you ill? And they left me outside."
He wore a shirt marked with the slogan: "Grow up."
The words had been crossed out.
Source: NYT > World Newscomments powered by HyperComments


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Got to shoot with Adrienne (addybee.me) again today. Our last shoot probably dates back to our college years, when we just shot with no theme or concrete concept planned.
Everything was as random as we were and we were fearless about it.
Sometimes I wished days were always like those. Today, we're not as random and most definitely not as fearless. Now, we tread carefully as we go along — each step a little more "careful" than the last. Afraid of failing, afraid of getting hurt, and afraid of judgement. But with each fear is another layer that strengthens us. It's a layer that shields us from ignorance and immaturity. It's the armor that makes us human. This layer of fear makes us real.
I hope you enjoy our photo set. If you like these photos, there are more. Make sure to LIKE https://www.facebook.com/addybeephotography!


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By Teachers, For Teachers
K-2: Red Carpet Clothes
If you were getting awards at school, what would you want to wear? Think about the clothes that make you feel good when you wear them. Draw yourself on the red carpet and write a sentence describing your outfit.
3-5: Acceptance Speech
Pretend you're winning an award for doing outstanding work at school. Write an acceptance speech thanking everyone who helped you be a good student. It should be one paragraph in length.
Bonus: Give your speech to the class!
6-8: TV Show or Movie Review
What is your favorite television show or movie of the year? Write a 3-5 paragraph review that explains why everyone should watch it.
9-12: Award Show Reporter
As a reporter, you are tasked with interviewing nominees after the awards. To prepare, write five questions you will ask the winners. Then, write five questions you'll ask nominees who didn't win.
Can't see the video? Watch it here!


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Where Did 2.5 Years Go?August 17th, 2018 at 03:15 pm
Wow, it's been forever since I posted. Lots of doings in the past few years, way too many to go into in one entry.
In that time, I've.....moved, changed jobs (with a pay bump), since gotten a raise at that job, traded in my car, and the big one.....as of this morning, paid off all but $700 of my credit card debt!!!
I'll update the sidebar shortly, as goals are obviously different as is financial picture. But this was step 1 in the current plan.....Operation Buy an Apartment in NYC! Huge and scary. But I'm soon to be 40, and finally feeling stable enough in life to do so. And it's an overall smart move, I'll be paying my own mortgage, rather than someone else's, building equity and getting (minimal) tax breaks, all while paying essentially the same for a 2 bedroom as I currently pay in rent for a 1 bedroom.
Credit score has increased in the last few years but not significantly. Dent/utilization had, though....and so by going from around 70% utilization to about 10%, hoping that bumps my credit up enough to get a better mortgage rate. I'm going to wait until early October to get a pre-approval, and then begin looking at places. I'll be carefully monitoring my credit score in the meantime!!!!
Cards are coming out of my wallet and being left at Mom's house. Cashflowing everything from here on out unless it's an isolated incident like a business trip where I'll be reimbursed etc.
Exciting stuff! Scary too hahaha.Looking forward to start building towards a positive net worth.


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Thursday, November 27, 2014
Madman In Your Face 3D Sepcial
It almost feels as though Allred is traveling through his artistic influential past. There's also this ghost of past, present and future thing going on which rings true for the holidays. You know, without being totally Charles Dickens oriented. In the process the story is loaded with poetic instances: "If we keep a focus on not taking our lives for granted, we learn and grow from out life experiences" "obviously". There are actually a lot of amazing lines throughout this entire jumbo sized floppie that are so eloquent. The eloquent Madman? Oo that sounds great doesn't it?
This issue was worked on for years. I wish I could comment on the actual 3D art. I actually can't wear 3D glasses. It never works well for me and gives me huge headaches (I hate 3D movies). I had to read the story in the flat world which Madman races to get back to. There is also an awesome gallery at the end of the story that is not to be missed. I wish I could have seen all the 3D awesomeness. Great issue. I'd hug it if it didn't crumple the paper.
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Apple Making App Store More Convenient for Chinese Cardholders
In an effort to improve convenience for Chinese credit and debit cardholders, Apple has revamped its App Store specifically for China UnionPay cards. The new options available through the App Store will open the doors for more than 4.5 billion China UnionPay cards worldwide.
China UnionPay offers the only bank card in China, and until now, it has been difficult to use this card in the App Store. Cardholders would have to go through a three-step process: selecting their bank, setting up an online payment and depositing a minimum of $8 onto a prepaid account before making a purchase.
Under the new system, users can simply link their Apple ID with their UnionPay credit or debit card to make on-tap purchases whenever they want.
China makes up Apple's second largest market for app downloads. Expanding the App Store purchase options for UnionPay cards is expected to be a very positive move for the company.
The smartphone market in China is also extremely profitable right now for Apple because of the demand for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Every day, Chinese resellers line up outside of Apple stores in the United States to buy out the day's supply of iPhone 6 models, even though it is now three months after the release date.


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129 Church St
Decatur, GA 30030
Butter reigns supreme at Revival, Kevin Gillespie's Decatur restaurant dedicated to reinterpreting the family dinners he grew up on in Georgia. Southern cuisine shines in dishes like buttermilk-fried chicken, cornmeal-fried catfish, duck-fat fried potatoes, and iron-skillet cornbread based on secret recipe passed down through the Gillespie family. The restaurant design itself is an ode to the chef's family, with a comfortable dining room modeled after his grandmother's farmhouse, complete with her old candy bowls and sewing kit.


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QR-3D Press Release
Feel free to download and use the press release to the right.
If you have any questions don't hesitate to get in touch.
The release is also available in full online here.
Press queries will be responded to within 24 hours, and usually immediately.
National Science & Engineering Week
18 January 2012
Natalie Ireland, Director of Manchester Science Festival and one of the QR-3D selection panel is planning to talk to colleagues in science interaction about QR-3D and its innovation in engaging people creatively with technology.
Find out more about National Science & Engineering week here.
1 December
Cornerhouse reported that a staggering 2000 visitors came and saw the QR-3D exhibition during its ten-day run. Anecdotally I heard great feedback that the exhibition was fun, inspiring, looked at technology in new ways, turned people on to the potential uses of QR codes, and brought visitors to Cornerhouse who had never been before.
If you visited the exhibition please do get in touch and share your views.
22 October
The QR-3D exhibition opens today. Hosted by Cornerhouse as part of their Micro-Commissions scheme, and also part of the Manchester Science Festival programme, we're all quite excited to see it there in all it's fibrous glory. Thanks to everyone who has taken part so far.
The exhibition ends Sunday 30th October. Admission is free.
1st September 2011
11 pieces of work from across the country and overseas have been selected by the panel for the exhibition at Cornerhouse at the end of October. Congratulations to those people and a reminder that the exhibition is just a window onto the larger project.
Selections are Go!
18th August 2011
The panel is complete.
Joining Mike and Lin are:
Natalie Ireland, Director of Manchester Science Festival, representing technology and Manchester (where the exhibition will be held).
The exhibition will be part of the Festival's exhibitions programme. You can see more about the Festival, which has a very strong interest in technology, on the website here and Natalie's festival twitter stream here.
Rachel Hobson, staff writer for Make and Craft, representing DIY craft and technology. Rachel recently had the enviable honour of watching a piece of her embroidery go with the astronauts up in the final space shuttle launch in July.
You can find Rachel around the web in many places here.
And finally... to announce that selections have officially begun.
The Selection Panel
12th August 2011
As promised, a special guest selection panel has been assembled to get a broad insight on what makes textile QR codes innovative and exploratory in digital culture, textiles and exhibition worlds.
Welcoming the first two members of the panel:
Representing contemporary design and craft:
Mike Press, Professor of Design Policy / Associate Dean of Design at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, the University of
You can follow him on twitter here.
Representing computer coding:
Lin Jones, Operations Manager at the National Museum of Computing.
The museum website is here and Lin too is on twitter here.
More panel members will be revealed next week, when the selections officially begin.
We will be contacting those selected for the exhibition during the first week of September.
Collaborative Effort
Manchester Science Festival
27th June 2011
The QR-3D exhibition will be an official part of this year's Manchester Science Festival, proudly waving the banner for technology. The festival has a tradition of including exhibitions and has also increasingly been interested in craft as a means of drawing new people to science, technology, maths and engineering subjects. We're honoured to take part.
Cross Switch
18th June 2011
It seems something about QR-3D is definitely catching people's imagination. The Guardian's Life & Style channel included the project this week with a gallery in their Craft section , which was rather exciting.
QR Cosy
17th June 11
Eskimimi just blogged about her QR ipod / iphone cosy.
She's offering to blog a tutorial if people show interest so if you need some extra help, pop over there and leave her a comment.
More blogging
14th June 11
It's great to see QR-3D spreading across the blogging world. Recent posts have included:
"QR Code Textiles Transform Fabric Into Hyperlinks, Increase Geek Cred" on PC World news of all places!
And on a Russian blog which I won't pretend to try and understand though if you're reading it in Google Chrome hopefully the auto-translate feature will kick in nicely and help you out.
Finally for today the lovely team at UK Handmade have also featured it in their 'Inspire' column.
Rumour has it there are other posts to appear elsewhere very soon. Watch this space...
Subversive Cross Stitch Pattern
9th June 11
We stumbled on some patterns of QR embroidery on the Subversive Cross Stitch site which you might like to check them out if you enjoy stitching four letter words of a certain nature. (A reminder: don't submit them for exhibition consideration, that would be against our criteria - we're keeping it family friendly!) But just for fun...
Craft Zine
7th June 11
QR-3D was featured on the popular US DIY site Craft today.
They also picked up on a new entry in the QR-3d flickr pool - this wonderful piece called Do Androids Dream of Electronic Embroidery by Rachel Rose.
Double Dog Dare
4th June 11
Jemimah Knight blogs about the electro-textile QR make-off that's spiralling on twitter.
Read her post *here*
Change of Deadline
2nd June 11
A few people feel the deadline of July 10th was just too much of a push. For various reasons it needs to be relatively soon, but to ensure it doesn't exclude anyone who wants to join in, it's now been pushed back to July 30th, where it will now be staying firmly fixed. Get stitching.


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Connecting Children to the Living World
By Brandi Vezina
First things first: If you want children to connect to the living world, turn off the screens in your home and get outside.
The best way to create a connection to the earth is to get outdoors and explore the living, breathing world around you. Take the children with you and allow them to use all five of their senses to connect to the environment around them. It will be a great learning experience, especially if it begins at an early age.
Children learn to value the world around them based upon the relationships and values of the adults in their world. Teaching children worldviews similar to David Suzuki's, "What we do to the Earth, we do to ourselves," will signify an innate connection to the earth. Children who think of the earth's resources with compassion and care will learn to care for the planet and make the connection between their actions and impacts upon the living world.
List of activities to get kids outside:
pick berries at a local farm, make pies with berries picked, paint bird houses, play at parks, plant a garden, go to a beach/stream and collect shells, go on a boat ride, have a picnic outside, plant flowers in your own yard, water flowers nightly, collect water in a rain barrel, visit an animal rehabilitation sanctuary, go bird watching, compost at home, fly a kite, rent a cabin, yearly, go camping, play ball and catch, play in the snow, make a snowman, go snowshoeing, tobogganing
Water is our connection to life. Without water there would be no life on Earth. To illustrate this to your children, take a Family Water Audit and add up all the water each family member uses in a week. By demonstrating turning the water off, as family members brush their teeth, this teaches children to value the earth's water as a resource. Another example is to explain to children why you keep glass bottles of water in the fridge, as opposed to running water, in order to enjoy a cold glass of water to drink. These experiences help children foster a positive relationship with Mother Earth.
Often times, adults take our earth's resources for granted. Learning, as a family, to value these resources will ensure values passed down from generation to generation. Valuing resources is as easy as turning lights off when leaving a room; in turn, reducing Green House Gas emissions, therefore, saving the family budget. Teaching children to respect the household budget is a value in itself. Families should work together to support one another and each family member contributes to the family as a whole.
Let love and kindness lead you throughout this life. We were brought to this planet to love, appreciate and share the earth with other people and animals. What happens to one part of the web has an impact on the entire web of life.
It is fundamental that children are taught to love themselves, their family members, and family pets within the first five developmental years of their life. The values instilled within the first few years of a child's life will shape their adult life. Seeing the earth as a mother and the ground as our ancestors will fundamentally change your child's worldview.
Make kindness your way and life; shaping a better world for generations to come.
Brandi Vezina is committed to making life better for children and the planet. Brandi is an educator, motivational speaker, health expert, singer and model. She brings her lively spirit to any organization she works with.
Brandi is a strong supporter of youth, women and recovering men. She is committed to a healthy lifestyle role and community activism. Brandi Vezina enjoys teaching how to nurture your mind, body and spirit and live the life you have always dreamed of. Visit www.brandivezina.ca
Category: Featured Articles, Lifestyle Choices, People & Solutions


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Accessories > Helmets > Helmets - Skate > Giro > Caden Mips Urban Helmet
SOPHISTICATED STYLE FOR THE STREETS - The Caden offers a sophisticated style with advanced head protection technology, making it a perfect match for your on-the-go lifestyle. The light, yet tough In-Mold shell helps to resist dents and dings from life on the streets, and the Roc Loc City fit system makes fit/feel adjustment almost effortless. Thoughtful details include reflective accents, a lock port for securing the helmet with your bike or a bag when you?re on the move, and a removable cycling cap-style visor that accents your style without compromising ventilation.
We accept secure payment online with Visa and MasterCard. Note: Only credit cards from the same country as the delivery address will be accepted
|Delivering your order to you in an efficient and timely fashion is one of our key priorities.
We ship all our orders with Courier Post, as they provide an efficient service along with a Track and Trace facility. Please supply a delivery address where someone will be present to receive the delivery. A signature is required for the delivery, they cannot be left. We do not deliver to PO Boxes. Deliveries are made Monday to Friday. All bike orders are to be picked up from your preferred My Ride store after assembly by a qualified bicycle technician.
PLEASE NOTE: All parts and accessory orders are delivered by courier. No store pick ups.
While most orders are processed and collected by the courier the same day of business, please allow 2-3 business days for delivery. If you have ordered an item(s) that is out-of-stock or sold-out, then we will advise you immediately. Rural and some residential areas may require an additional day(s) for delivery. Additional delays may also occur if further payment or address information is required.
You can track your order at http://www.courierpost.co.nz enter your tracking code (provided in your 'Order Confirmation' email)
Delivery Charges
Freight charges are from $6.50 to $14.50. Charges are calculated based on your shopping basket contents and your delivery address. The exact charges will be added to the order at the Checkout stage of the order process. You can obtain a freight quote at this screen.
We strongly advise all customers to check goods thoroughly upon delivery before destroying packaging or removing any attached tags.
For further information contact Customer Services at: email@example.com


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I can't play the game no more, I can't abide
by their stupid rules which kept me sick inside
They've been made by men who've given up the search
Whose gods are dead and whose queens are in the church.
Send out for Saint John the Evangelist
All my friends are drunk, they can be dismissed.
My head says that it's time to make a change
But my heart is telling me I love ya but you're strange.
So step lightly, darling, near the wall
Put on your heavy make-up, wear your shawl.
Won't you descend from the throne, from where you sit?
Let me feel your love one more time before I abandon it.


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Maryann Andres is our Contact Lens Administrator. Maryann's role is to process the contact lens orders prescribed by our Doctors of Optometry as well as teach new wearers insertion and removal techniques as well as the importance of care and cleanliness to reduce complications. She is dedicated to the patients and the doctors at Eyes on Sheppard by providing the most up to date information on new lenses as well as new rebates for our patients. She ensures that all tasks are complete and patients are satisfied. She is an essential member of our dispensing team and is always open to patient requests. Never having missed a day of work, Maryann is the go-to person for our patients who want to place an order, check on an order or just get some handy tips or suggestions regarding their contacts.
Born and raised in the Phillippines, Maryann immigrated in Canada in 2006. She graduated as a Medical Office Assistant from the Medix School in Toronto. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her seven year old son. Maryann takes great pleasure in cooking and has a special interest in baking treats for her family and friends.


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Commitment to Reading the Bible Daily
Consider making a commitment to read God's word and spend time in prayer every day before pursuing your own interests and hobbies. It's very important that we hide God's word in our heart.
Take at least 10 minutes today to read God's word. You may want to start by reading John 14. If we truly love the Lord, we will obey His words. In order to obey, we must know what "the word" says.
John 14:23
Jesus answered and said unto him, "If a man loves me, he will keep my words and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."
The commitment doesn't need to be a huge one. We just begin to change or actions one small step at a time. Just by committing to read a chapter per day, and following through with it, our relationship with the Lord will grow.


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Monday, April 30th, 2007
Mini Review – Google Web Toolkit Solutions: Cool & Useful Stuff
A mini book deserves a mini review, and so it is with the "Digital Shortcut" from January 2007 entitled Googleâ"¢ Web Toolkit Solutions (Digital Short Cut): Cool & Useful Stuff. The 112 page PDF goes further than any of the free tutorials out there in that it develops two non-trivial applications using GWT: a Yahoo! Trips app that uses proxied Yahoo web services, and an Address Book, that makes use of Hibernate persistence through RPC.
The applications are non-trivial in that they tackle complex use cases, backend processing, web service, backend persistence and the integration of third party Javascript frameworks — all aspects of GWT application development that are of great interest to serious developers. (Source code available for download.) In order, the chapters cover the following:
- Chapter 1 covers what must already be fairly familiar to most GWT developers — making an RPC call to a backend servlet. This chapter, however, does an exceptionally good job of explaining the why and how of GWT RPC in exhaustive detail. The Yahoo Trips application is used to illustrate how to proxy an RSS feed.
- Chapter 2 shows how to integrate third party Javascript libraries with GWT. In this case Scriptaculous is used to provide an effect in the Yahoo Trips application to the panel containing the search results. The chapter focuses on two ways to incorporate scripts in the app — simply including script tags in the application html file, and GWT script injection, i.e. through the GWT config file.
- Chapter 3 shows one way of how to implement drag and drop with GWT, using a fairly OO approach. The code seems pretty reusable and useful. Again, the Yahoo! Trips app is used.
- Chapter 4 shows how to bring GWT into the mix. Most of it is old hat for experienced Hibernate hands, but the example does work through implementing a sort of remote DAO using the GWT RPC. It's always good to see how that is done, even if it looks simple on paper. The Address Book app is used for this example.
- Chapter 5 shows how to use ant to deploy your apps to Tomcat. I assume most everyone is using Googlipse or some non-free alternative, but writing ant files for automated build environments is still a useful thing to know.
- Chapter 6 illustrates the use of popups and "deferred commands." Popups are obvious (modal and modeless dialogs); deferred commands are a way of giving focus to widgets that have not yet been displayed. I really haven't seen good treatment of this aspect of GWT programming elsewhere. Uses the Address Book app for this example.
Over all, the book doesn't skimp on explanations and code samples and is written in a clear style. It doesn't address unit testing with JUnit, but I suppose you can get that information elsewhere. For those of you who like to learn by doing, this is a decent tutorial (and worth the $10 price tag) that can tide you over until the bigger GWT tomes come out.
Posted by Dietrich Kappe at 10:00 am
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City of McDonoughHome Menu
Technology Services
Steve Sikes
Technology Services Director
City of McDonough
136 Keys Ferry Street
McDonough, GA 30253
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Direct Line: 678-782-6212
Fax: 678-782-6499
Steve Sikes is a 20+ year technology professional hired in 2012 as the first Technology Services Director. He is skilled in designing infrastructure and implementing technology to support large user groups and effectively managing IT staff. He manages all network, telephony, video & cellular services for the City including the needs of McDonough Police, Court & Fire departments. He recently redesigned all network & telephone services to connect to our central data center. All sites are fully vlaned with high end Cisco systems, private fiber connections & redundant backup. He designed & built the "nervous system" our new Public Safety and Court building with state of the art ip camera systems, card key access systems, ip phones, automated wifi transfer of UPD incar video & most recently private in-building Verizon cellular antenna system.
Brian Linton, Technology Services Specialist
Direct Line: 678-782-6297
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
The Technology Services Department strives to stay on the forefront of technology; our focus is on utilizing the latest advancements in technology to save taxpayer's money and to ultimately provide residents with the best in customer service. This department maintains all of the networking infrastructure, computer hardware / software, telephony systems, and physical security systems for our City Government and associated boards and agencies.


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Pixies frontman Frank Black has criticised a new documentary on the band's 2004 tour, calling it "exaggerated" and the filmmakers "naïve".
The film, 'loudQUIETloud', was premiered at the Edinburgh Film Festival yesterday (August 22).
Speaking to The Guardian, Black said: "I've got nothing against the film or the film-makers, but they manipulated the whole thing. They wanted a story, and that story became this tension within the band, how awful we got along."
He also criticised the directors, Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin, saying: "They were naïve, like a lot of people who don't understand how rock bands are when they go on tour.
"I guess they expected us to be like The Monkees, always up to mischief. But we're boring, you know. And touring is boring. You just sit around not talking to each other."
However, Black, known as Black Francis in Pixies' heyday, has also admitted that the conflict captured in the video is a reality for the band. He said: "The movie as it stands is basically truthful, even though it's exaggerated."


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Power Core Combiners Huffer Toy Review
General Information:
Release Date: June 2010
Price Point: $9.99 (varies depending on retailer)
Retailer: General (Toys R Us, Target, Wal-Mart etc.)
Accessories: Caliburst Mini-Con action figure/weapon
*Images and text from transformers.com:
With CALIBURST by his side, HUFFER is just as inclined to grumble as he's ever been, but he's also faster, stronger, and smarter, which means the DECEPTICONS have a lot more to complain about than he does.
Power up for the ultimate robot battles! Your HUFFER figure is already a virtually unstoppable opponent in his vehicle and robot modes. But his strength gets doubled when you factor in your CALIBURST figure and his four modes! Convert this MINI-CON ally figure to weapon accessories for him when he's in truck vehicle mode or Commander mode. Then, convert your CALIBURST figure into an armor accessory for your HUFFER figure's Power Up Mode! And the action doesn't stop there. With this Power Core interchangeable robot combination system, MINI-CONS and drone vehicles (sold separately) can attach to power up any Commander figure. Collect more packs and you can create tons of unique and fierce robot battler figure combinations!
Exciting two-pack of robot figures includes HUFFER robot-to-vehicle figure and MINI-CON figure with four modes! CALIBURST figure converts from robot to weapon accessory for HUFFER figure vehicle mode, weapon accessory for HUFFER figure robot mode and armor accessory for HUFFER figure Power-Up mode. Ages 5 and up.
The year 2010 brings back a Transformers concept from the year 2003, namely the combination of a Transformer with a Mini-Con. The term "Mini-con" has begun to gain wider use in Transformers lore. With the introduction of the "War for Cybertron" unified continuity, Mini-Cons (or Minicons as they are spelled in the book "Exodus") are basically seen as any smaller Transformer that works in conjunction with a larger one. With the Power Core Combiners, the idea of combining technology and Mini-Cons are fused into one in a series of two packs and five packs. The two packs include a Scout Class figure along with a Mini-Con that has four modes as opposed to the previous Mini-Cons which generally topped out at three modes.
Huffer is a name that many Transformers fans will know as the whining, orange and blue truck from Generation One. Originally part of G1 Optimus Prime's crew on The Ark, the character disappeared from Transformers lore for many years, but with the introduction of a Botcon exclusive figure a couple years back and now this figure, Huffer is stepping up into the limelight again. It is interesting to note that this is the only "legacy" character in the Power Core Combiner assortments (thus far). Whether or not he is "War for Cybertron" Huffer or not is up in the air, but there's certainly nothing to say he isn't.
Caliburst is another name taken from G1, but a bit later during the Targetmaster era. The original Caliburst was a Nebulan Targetmaster partner to the Decepticon Slugslinger. Like his G1 namesake, this Caliburst has a robot/humanoid form and a gun mode to go with his other two forms.
- Robot Mode
- Robot Mode (Side)
- Robot Mode (Back)
- Robot Mode (Posed)
- Weapon Mode (Vehicle Weapon)
- Weapon Mode (Vehicle Weapon, side)
- Weapon Mode (Vehicle Weapon, back)
- Weapon Mode (Robot Weapon)
- Weapon Mode (Robot Weapon, side)
Robot Mode:
Caliburst may share a name with a G1 Transformer, but his design is largely unique while being reminscent of the Targetmasters of yore. Caliburst stands about about 2.5 in/6.4 cm tall in robot mode, making him a bit tall compared to some past Mini-Cons. His styling is quite streamlined, with a five sided, raised design on his chest that evokes the classic Mini-Con symbol, a very rectangular waist area and legs that are long and have a raised bar in the front of each section. His arms are a bit small in comparison, but his left arm has a relatively huge honking weapon attached to it that looks absolutely fantastic. This double barreled cannon gives Caliburst the appearance of a Transformer that can do plenty of harm on his own without his larger partner! The head design is pretty standard, with an angled off helmet around a regular face with eyes, nose and mouth. His mouth looks partially open which is kind of cool. It's not often you get to see expression in such a small Transformer. My favorite flair in the design are the gear like sections hanging off his back. They look almost like wings and give him a very mechanical appearance.
Caliburst shares a basic color scheme with his G1 namesake. His primary plastic colors are translucent blue and grey (G1 Caliburst was solid blue and grey). I love this color combination and the blue is a fantastic color. His "gear" sections and his face are painted silver, bringing some extra brightness to the figure.
There are nine points of articulation on this figure. I'm being generous by counting the ability for his arms to swivel out and in on their transformation joint, but with such a small figure every little bit counts! The cannon is attached to his arm by a ball joint, so you can move it around in all sorts of directions. I like to have it pointing "back" to simulate a "standby" mode and then forward for a "battle mode".
I should note that in the next session, each transformation assumes you are starting with Caliburst in robot mode, the mode he is packaged in.
Transformation to Vehicle Weapon Mode:
- Raise the left arm and turn the cannon around so it is pointing down towards the ground.
- Move the arm back down.
- Swing both "gear" sections up to cover the robot head and torso.
- Rotate both legs on the ball joints and the hips, the swing the lower legs forward.
- This can be attached to any Mini-Con peg on Huffer.
Vehicle Weapon Mode:
It seems like a small distinction to have Caliburst have a "vehicle weapon mode" and a "robot weapon mode", but this form does look much more like something you'd mount onto a vehicle as a weapon. The rectangular shape of the base gives the solid appearance of a gun emplacement. Even better? Thanks to the ball joint the cannon is on, the gun can move up and down as well! Since the cannon is now between the gear details, this is effective on a play level and a visual one. Play wise it gives him a nice range of movement to blast enemies on the ground or in the sky. Visually it gives the illusion that there is a gearing system controlling the height the weapon points. It's a brilliant design move that I really love. You'll also note in this mode (and the next) you see a lot more gear details on the sides, looking like he has a series of gears interacting to operate his cannon. I really love this touch as well.
Transformation to Robot Weapon Mode:
- Raise the left arm and turn the cannon around so it is pointing down towards the ground.
- Move the arm back down.
- Swing both "gear" sections up to cover the robot head and torso.
- Raise the legs so they are pointed up, then bend them at the knees.
- Attach to the Powerlinx pegs on HUffer's right arm.
Robot Weapon Mode:
Whereas the vehicle weapon mode looks like a compact gun emplacement, the robot weapon mode has the opposite effect, looking like a rifle like weapon that is meant to be carried by a warrior. It is pretty cool how a very minor arrangement of the legs can make the weapon mode look so distinct. In this mode, Caliburst also harkens back to the old G1 Targetmasters where a bit of the robot mode still shows, but is more a part of the aesthetic than anything else.
Interestingly, at Toy Fair 2010 I was told that the Mini-Cons from this line would not function with the Powerlinx pegs of past Transformers. However, when I attached Caliburst to Vector Prime, he fit tightly, but he did fit. While I know pegs varied a bit from figure to figure with the Mini-Cons, it looks like there is some level of compatability with the Unicron Trilogy era figures. That said, when I tried to attach Caliburst to my Universe 2.0 Hot Shot figure the fit was very loose, so I guess your mileage will vary when it comes to cross-compatability with other lines.
Transformation to Power-Up Armor Mode:
- Rotate the cannon on Caliburst's arm so it points down.
- Swing the gear sections out to the sides.
- Swing the robot arms up so they angle with the edges of the gear sections.
- Swing the robot legs up against the torso to cover up the head.
- Caliburst can be attached to any Powerlinx peg on Huffer but he is meant to go on the one in his chest.
Power-Up Armor Mode:
There are two things I love about this mode. First, it fulfills the promise that Mini-Cons had years ago. Originally, Mini-Cons were intended to be small Transformers that could become anything from weapons to robots to armor. While we did have the Star Saber and various interesting Mini-Con forms, armor was not one of the ones that was emphasized. Now to have that and a robot and weapon forms in one figure is awesome.
Secondly, this armor actually looks like it could protect Huffer. With the gears splayed out, it covers most of his chest and the translucent plastic gives it the feel of energy protecting Huffer, not just armor plating. The gear designs also give an extra bit of mechanical "feel" to any Transformer you attach Caliburst to. I also like the way you can still swivel the cannon forward to give Huffer an extra weapon in this form.
Huffer Review
- Vehicle Mode
- Vehicle Mode (Side)
- Vehicle Mode (Back)
- Vehicle Mode (Forward view)
- Vehicle Mode (Angle view)
- Vehicle Mode (Caliburst attached)
- Vehicle Mode (Caliburst attached, side)
- Vehicle Mode (Caliburst attached, back)
- Vehicle Mode (Caliburst attached, rear)
- Robot Mode
- Robot Mode (Side)
- Robot Mode (Back)
- Robot Mode (Close up)
- Robot Mode (Angle View)
- Robot Mode (Posed)
- Robot Mode (Alternate Pose)
- Robot Mode (Caliburst attached)
- Robot Mode (Caliburst attached, side)
- Robot Mode (Caliburst attached in Power-Up Armor Mode)
- Robot Mode (Caliburst attached in Power-Up Armor Mode, angle view)
- Robot Mode (Caliburst attached in Power-Up Armor Mode, back view)
- Robot Mode (Caliburst and Backwind attached)
Robot Mode (aka Commander Mode):
Huffer was never portrayed as the most heroic Autobot (though the early Marvel comic books did try). Indeed, the original Mini-Bot figure was quite weird looking with claw hands and arms set at a weird angle. His treatment years later as a Botcon exclusive gave him a more humanoid form, but it was still rather squat. It took the Power Core Combiner line to give Huffer his due as a rather "normal" looking robot with humanoid proportions and a rather powerful looking chassis. Standing at about 4.5 in/11.4 cm, this is probably the tallest Huffer has been made into toy form. While he is based on his G1 namesake, the overall design is not a slavish design homage like those you would expect from say, the Universe 2.0 toy line. There are however some minor touches that clearly show influence from the G1 character.
Huffer's head design does pay a slight bit of homage (though it may not have been intentional) to G1 Huffer in its eye design. On top of a rather normal looking head design (thin helmet with protrustions on the sides and a nose/mouth) are large visor eyes. G1 Huffer's toy had visor eyes as well, albeit more angled ones. These are straight on top and only come up to a point where the nose is. The mouth design has some extra design flourishes on either side, giving him a more movie-Transformer like appearance.
The body has another design element that seems to pay homage to G1 Huffer. The design of his upper arms are cylinder in shape, very similar to those on G1 Huffer's original toy and cartoon model design. That's pretty much it for the overt design elements from G1 Huffer, but that's already a lot. I like to see small elements brought in with an original design (and otherwise I'd just want this guy in the current "Generations" line as a deluxe figure). I could almost argue that his chest design alludes to some of the elements of the G1 figure, but they're different enough that I think they're original.
If his iconic name doesn't remind you Huffer is a truck in his alternate form, the wheels you find on his chest and legs will. I dig this design. Sure it "reveals" his alternate mode, but it also harkens back to some G1 designs that did have some vehicle mode kibble on the robot mode. These are unobtrusive and in the case of the wheels on his chest they actually add something nice to the design on a visual level.
I like a lot of the angled design elements on this figure. Very few parts on his torso and waist are simple right angles. Instead a lot of the designs curve and angle into other designs such as the chest designs angling into the waist. His legs are curved a bit with rectangular designs near the knees. Small details like wires in his forearms, tubes leading to his feet and two cylinders sticking out in the front of each leg look great and really show the care that is given to the sculpts of this line.
Huffer is cast in light blue, black, silver and mustard yellow plastic. The yellow is the primary color, making up most of the torso, the lower legs and the parts that the arms are attached to. Black breaks up the monotony by making up smaller parts on his arms and the ehad. Silver is kind of hidden in this form since it's meant more for the Combiner mode, but you'll see it on the insides of his legs and his knee joints. The light blue may seem like an odd color to throw into the mix, but it is more of a standard color used across the Power Core Combiners line, used for the joints that the drone vehicles from the larger five pack Combiner sets attach to. Here, the light blue is most prominant on his heel pieces.
Paint applications are done in various colors including silver, red, dark blue and orange The silver is the blue is the most prominant, used on all the raised sections of his torso and waist. The silver is distributed throughout the robot mode, found on his head, forearms and legs. Yellow is used for tinier details such as lines on his chest and what appear to be headlights on his waist. A red Autobot symbol is painted on the left side of his chest right on top of the blue section. In what I found to be a possible nod to his G1 self, a big patch of orange paint is found on his back on a black panel.
Huffer has eleven points of articulation in this form. This includes ball joints on his shoulders and elbows as well as swivel joints on his hips. His upper body is one solid piece so there's no waist articulation, but he's still quite posable without it. As mentioned in Caliburst's reviews, you can attach the Mini-Con to Huffer at various points. In this mode that includes his chest and arm. I love how large of a weapon Caliburst appears to be on Huffer's arm. Out of curiosity, I took Safeguard and also attached him to the peg on Huffer's arm and he fit fine. Just for kicks I also attached Thunderwing from the Classics Clear Skies Team and he fit fine as well. I was kind of relieved by this as I feared Safeguard may have been an abberation. I still caution that compatability may vary from Mini-Con to Mini-Con, but these are at least two I know will work!
Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
- Swing the robot head down.
- Swing the robot arms up, then rotate the forearms around so they are facing front.
- Connect the robot legs together.
- Swing the heel pieces on each leg back.
- Swing the arms out to the sides including the panels they are attached to and connect them together to form the top of the cab section and part of the back section of the vehicle.
- Attach the holes in the robot fists to the pegs on the back of the truck.
Vehicle Mode:
In Generation One, Huffer was a rather boxy tractor trailer truck. In 2010, he is now more of a extended nose style truck, akin to Optimus Prime's form in the live action movies. The front grille is pretty strong looking with what appear to be bars reinforcing the front and around the grille itself. The cabin section has siren and horn details on the top and on either side of the vehicle are ladders leading up to the doors (Huffer must be one tall truck!). Behind those sections are smokestacks with the requisite series of holes leading up to the pipe on the top. The rear section is less blocky on the sides, with curved sections over the rear wheels. Overall this is a tough looking truck and definitely an upgrade from his G1 form!
In this form the same mix of colors from the robot mode shows, with the mustard yellow playing the most prominant role. Aside from the wheels, the front end and parts of the back are cast in black. The blue "Combiner posts" stick out the back and are perhaps the most visually intrusive element of the vehicle mode. Orange, yellow, silver and dark blue colors are used in this form as well with some black added in. The orange panel from the robot mode now reveals itself to be the front hood. Silver is found on the grille and smokestacks while blue is used for the windows. The headlights in the front are yellow. Black is used for small details such as the lights and horns on the top of the truck as well as two Autobot symbols, one on each door. Overall it's a scheme that is consistant with the robot mode but with an added splash of brightness (namely the orange) that connects the toy to its G1 counterpart while looking cool.
Connecting Caliburst to the back of the vehicle gives Huffer some firepower in vehicle mode. I love the idea of having a truck smashing through enemy lines with a big ol' gun on the back. Huffer looks great with or without the weapon, but having it definitely adds a lot. Of course, other Mini-Cons can fit as well since the peg used here is the same as the one from his arm in robot mode.
Transformation to Combiner Mode (starting in robot mode):
- Swing the robot head down.
- Open the orange panel on the back and swing out the Combiner head, then swing that entire piece forward.
- Swing the forearms up against the upper arms, then attach them to the chest using the rectangular tabs connecting to the rectangular holes on the forearms.
- Swing each lower leg out to the sides, then connect the holes on the insides of the yellow pieces to the peg on the silver pieces.
- Swing out each of the light blue connector pegs and attach vehicles (sold separately).
Combiner Mode:
- Combined with Aerialbots
- Combined with Aerialbots (Right Side)
- Combined with Aerialbots (Left Side)
- Combined with Aerialbots (Back)
- Combined with Aerialbots (Angle view)
The Combiner Mode is really a variation on the robot mode. Now you get to see two parts that were not revealed before. First is the head, which to Generation One fans should look very familiar. With its angled front end, horns sticking out the top and vent like sections on the sides, this is actually a head sculpt for none other than Menasor, the Stunticon giant from Generation One. So why is this head on an Autobot?! Well, it was reveled at Botcon that one of the upcoming redecos will feature Huffer given a new deco as a Decepticon with a team of cars, alluding to the G1 Stunticons. Here however the head sculpt just looks intimidating, with the horns and lots of small details on the face including a toothy smile and a chin that protrudes out quite a bit. It's a great modern take on the Menasor head sculpt and I dig it a lot.
The other newly revealed parts are the inside mechanisms of his legs which include two tubes leading to angled pieces. I like the visual implication of greater machinery hidden inside Huffer's legs. They look great and like they wer designed to support the extra weight of having limbs attached. Very nice!
the head piece is cast in black with a silver face, yellow on the horns and translucent blue light piped eyes. the leg pieces are a combination of black and silver. These colors keep color consistancy with the rest of the figure while giving these pieces a nice look as well.
Any of the vehicles that come with the five packs are meant to connect here. At the time I'm writing this review I only had the Aerialbots to test out and they all connected without a problem. What's even cooler is how incredibly solid this guy felt. No parts felt like they were going to flop around or fly off, a complaint sometimes mentioned by fans when it came to G1 or even the more recent Energon combiners. I also like the use of the forearms forming panels on the sides of his chest. it gives him a formidable appearance while giving added width to the combined robot.
Final Thoughts:
Huffer is the first Power Core Combiner I cracked open and I have to say it's a fantastic figure with fun gimmicks. Seeing Mini-Cons finally come into their own as multi-purpose Transformers is also a delight. If this is how other Power Core Combiners are going to be than this line has a bright future. Highly recommended!


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