7 Bad Habits of Digital Photographers

Here are, compiled in one post, the 7 bad habits of digital photographers…

read more | digg story

The 5 Least Surprising Toy Recalls of All Time

As children prepare to gather around the Christmas tree to open gift-wrapped toys, lets take a moment to remember some of the toy recalls that companies, parents and even children probably should have seen coming a mile away. Because after all, children shouldn’t be the only ones who can’t sleep the night before Christmas.

read more | digg story

5,000-Pound Devil Fish Is Caught

5000 pound Manta devil fish killed with high powered rifle by coast guard
after fish became entangled in anchor of fishing boat.

read more | digg story

5 Most Dangerous Taekwondo Kicks

Let
’s face it. Everyone loves martial arts. From Bruce Lee to Chuck Liddell, people go just about crazy for the chance to see a good fight. Check out the 5 Most Dangerous kicks with pictures and video.

read more | digg story

11 Year-Old-Boy Donates Wii to Help Needy

Every now and then you read about selfless, heart warming acts of kindness. Such is the case with 11-year-old Tyler Strasser, who
’s been helping out those in need since he was a young toddler in diapers. Scratch that; since he was young toddler who walked home naked because he gave his diaper to someone in need.

read more | digg story

5 Things you need to know about the new Corvette ZR1

This cocktail party cheat sheet might come in handy this week. Among the weirder things: the Ferrari Enzo’s front brakes are the new Corvette’s rear brakes, and a special paint coating for the roof cost GM over $60,000 per gallon. One more thing I could use one of these for Christmas.

 

read more | digg story

Games blamed for obesity by soda companies

Oh I see…it’s the Games not the junk food and sodas that explains it all…

read more | digg story

Stunning Photoshop Contest Entries: Winner & Top 15 Gallery!

Absolutely incredible collection of Photoshop artwork submitted to a contest where the winner got a MacBook Pro(!!)

read more | digg story

Demystifying The Tire Sidewall Code

11th December 2005Author: Debbie Pettitt

 

So, you need new tires for your car or truck, but how do you know what to buy? What do all those alphanumeric codes printed on the tire sidewalls mean, anyway?

 

If you’re in the market for new tires, you may simply want to replace your worn tires with exactly the same tire it came with. But you MAY want to consider an upgrade. If you know how to read the tire sidewalls, chock full of valuable information, you’ve got an advantage over most people and are prepared to make an informed decision. So let’s get underway!

Tire Size Markings (example: P215/65R15 89H)

Broken down:
P = Passenger
Other designations are
LT = Light Truck
T = Temporary (spare tire)

215 is the width (in millimeters) of the tire from sidewall to sidewall. A wider tire has more grip but the bad news is that you lose fuel economy, hear more noise and the tires don’t work as well in the rain.

65 is the aspect ratio
The aspect ratio is the ratio of sidewall height to tire width. With regards to aspect ratio, the larger the number, the taller the tire sidewall. Tall (60-75) is great for a quiet ride but causes howling in turns. Short (35-55) is better for handling–more for sports cars.

R indicates Radial. This means it is constructed with a series of support belts sideways under the tread.
Other designations include
B for Belted Bias
and
D for Diagonal Bias
The standard, and what you’ll see most often, is R.

15 is the wheel (or rim) diameter, in inches.

89 is the load index
H is the speed rating
Speed ratings indicate the top speed under ideal conditions. Higher-rated tires are usually made of softer rubber and will have shorter UTQG tread life. Here are a few of the more common speed ratings: R= 106, S=112, T=118, U=124, H=130, V=149, W=168, Y=186. Along with this speed rating, you have a load index which indicates the approximate weight the tire can carry. Some of the more common load weights are as follows: 85 = 1,135 pounds, 86 = 1,168 pounds, 87 = 1,201 pounds, 88 = 1,235 pounds.

UTQG Ratings

Passenger car tires are accompanied by a UTQG Rating (Uniform Tire Quality Grading, mandated by the Federal Government) which rates the tread life of tires by looking at tread wear, traction and temperature resistance. The UTQG Rating is usually found opposite the tire size markings and will be in three separate ratings: treadwear, traction and temperature.

The treadware grade standard is 100. A grade of 200 means the tread would wear twice as well as a tire graded 100.

Traction grades run from AA to C, with AA being the highest grade and C meaning the tire brakes poorly on both wet concrete and wet asphalt.

Temperature grades rate the tire’s resistance to and ability to dispel heat. Those grades are A (resists heat well), B (not as good as A) and C (passes minimum safety standards.) Keep in mind that heavy loads, under-inflation of the tires, and high speeds can all affect the tire temperature.

You should note that these tire grades rate tires measured under controlled conditions. Factors such as driving habits, road conditions, climate, etc., are not considerations and may affect the actual performance of your tire.

DOT

DOT (Department of Transportation) indicates the tire is in compliance with applicable DOT safety standards. Next to DOT is an identification or serial number–codes that designate where and when the tire was produced.

You’ll also find other information on the sidewall such as the type and composition of the tire, the maximum cold inflation (PSI) and maximum load in pounds.

So as you can see, tires carry a huge amount of information. But it’s really not all that complicated once you learn to read the code.

Debbie Pettitt is webmaster for Everything Tires, your tire resource. For more information on tires, visit http://everythingtires.com

HEPA Air Purifiers for Smoke

 

13th December 2007 Author: Debbie

Second hand smoke is defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as the mixture of smoke that comes from the burning end of a cigarette, pipe, or cigar, and smoke exhaled by the smoker. It is a complex mixture of over 4,000 compounds, more than 40 of which are known to cause cancer in humans or animals and many of which are strong irritants.

Secondhand smoke and exposure is often called passive smoking and is damaging to the health of anyone who breathes it. Removal of second hand smoke is paramount for healthy indoor air quality.

If someone in your family is a smoker, or your office is not a smoke-free workplace, you body is being bombarded with pollutants from second hand smoke. Fireplaces and wood stoves are other sources of indoor smoke allergens as well. But, whatever the source of the smoke, you owe it to you and your family to clean up your indoor air quality quickly.

HEPA air purifier uses carbon cloth to remove airborne smoke and smoke odors. Combined with HEPA (High Efficiency Particle Arresting) technology designed by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, the Allergy Machine removes not only smoke and smoke odor, but pollens, dust, dander, bacteria and viruses down to .3 microns! You will notice the difference immediately as air is forced through the filters and back out into the room, clean and fresh.

Designed to run 24 hours a day, HEPA purifiers are quiet, effective, and constant, and require very little maintenance to perform well. And if this isn’t enough good news—there is no assembly required. Simply pull it out of the box, plug it in, and breathe. And remember, improving indoor air quality has been proven to help you, your family, and your pets live a longer, healthier life.

Debbie Davis is President of PurerAir.com which offers HEPA air purifiers for the improvement of indoor air quality