Don’t let the recent debacle about the boy from Colorado who was feared to have flown off in his family’s weather balloon discourage you and your children from experimenting with flight. I’m not suggesting you launch Junior, by any means, but I would like to invite you and your kids to explore the world of unmanned flight.

Drones aren’t just for the military. While Air Force drones have gotten all the media attention during the past ten years or so, people forget that it was hobbyists who started the whole unmanned airplane tradition, many years ago. Back when kids used to play outside and knew their way around more than just a joystick or a computer keyboard, it used to be common to see them in parks, radio transmitter in hand. It’s a great hobby that teaches children important skills like how to identify a switch mode transformer, how to solder and weld, principals of aerodynamics and how radio frequency control works. While full airplane kits are available from many hobby stores, there’s a lot to be said for building from scratch. My daughter and I built our last project together and, aside from a slight delay while waiting for some custom transformers to arrive, we spent about sixty days all told from the point where our design was completed to the time the aircraft was ready for its first test flight.

Many of today’s most successful engineers got their start monkeying around with electronics and motors as children. There something about having a bin of mechanical and electronic parts: electric motors,transistors, wheels, dials, transmitters, tubes, cables, LEDs, antennas, amplifiers, maybe even a switch mode transformer or two to inspire creative genius in anyone. Sitting down with a child and telling them that they can work with the components too and watching the look in their eyes as they realize that they’ve just been given the license to create is an experience I encourage all parents to undertake.

And if it turns out that starting from scratch just isn’t your thing, don’t worry. Kits have actually become even more accessible than ever and you can easily order a basic starter version online. For under a hundred dollars you can put together a simple radio controlled airplane with your son or daughter and be outdoors flying it in hours- or once the glue dries. And no-one will hold the commercial aspect against you -it may have been a kit, but you still put the effort into assembling it yourself. (articlesbase)

Whether you are starting from the beginning and building your new home or looking to create an extension within you home it’s a good idea to look around at different builders who have the knowledge, experience and expertise to complete the work which you want doing. Choosing North Wales builders can be difficult as there are so many around here, and everyone seems to know someone who is a builder in the area or has been a builder in the area. A few guidelines to follow will help you choose the right North Wales builders.

Firstly a good idea is to check that they are a licensed builder. Although this doesn’t mean that they are a better builder it just means that you have some protection. A builder needs to show previous experience to gain a licence. Also a builder which has a registered licence many indicate that they have insurance. It’s an idea to call up the builders registers and ask them what benefit you can receive for hiring a builder who is a member of their licensing.

Research the builders online, see if they have any feedback, see if they have a website and find out how long they have been a builder for, and if they have a company how long it has been established for. This can be a great indicator of how successful the builders are.

A great way to decide on which builder to choose is to go and have a look at the work that he has done. Walk around the property and inspect inside. This will help you decided whether you like the work, and what you think about it as a completed project. It’s also a good idea to ask people that have hired them for work, what they were like. Also ask what types of project they have previously undertaken. This will help you decided whether they have the experience within what your plans are.

Find out from your builders what type of insurance they have, and also ask about what warranty they offer and what it includes.

Ask your chosen builders for fixed quotes and a time line. Make sure that your builders are able to stick to these and if they do go over the time, find out what that means for you.

Once you have decided upon a builder it is a good idea to write down everything, every last detail. This can be your own contract, and in the long term can save any hassle which may arise in the future. (articles base)

My ass is a wallet melter.  If destroying wallets was a profitable business, and my ass could be employed to make money, I’d drop this web crap and be a millionaire, people.

If I see an item hanging by a ring in a vending machine, you can bet your sweet ass I’m buying whatever’s about to fall so I get two treats for the price of one.  But wait, even if it’s caramel bullseyes, Neil?  Especially if it’s caramel bullseyes.

Did you have any idea both of the women below exist?  I had no idea.**

If I had a facebook page, my status would have read: “…and that’s why you don’t own a chimpanzee…”

Here are 3 social networking jokes you can all use:  1.) Twitter is all the egocentrism of Facebook without any of the fake presents.  2.) What draws most people to Facebook is the ability to post pictures of one’s self, and convince others that it’s not self-absorbed.  3.) I often argue that Twitter is the best way to post a picture of your favorite dessert, but Facebook sure is making a run at it.

In looking up how to spell dessert for my column, I found out that the definition of dessert is as follows:

  • des-sert [di-ZURT]: cake, pie, fruit, pudding, ice cream, etc., served as the final course of a meal.

I’ll have you all know I am now representing cookies in a class-action lawsuit against dictionary.com.

I, for one, believe Jason Segel is inadequately filling the mighty shoes left by Judge Reinhold and Daniel Stern.  You, Jason Segel, are no Billy Rosewood, and you are certainly no Wet Bandit Marv.

I’m obsessed with the advertisement below, so much so that I took a picture the picture to share:**

**I just adore that they’re selling watches with helicopters, and that the only link is the color palette.

Let’s talk about Magic Shell ice cream topping together.  Did you like it, love it, or hate yourself as a kid?  It must have been one of the three.

I saw a woman in a motorized scooter the other day.  She was heavy, older and presumably inactive (trust me, it’s relevant).  When I saw her, she was motoring up to her car, and a gentleman was lifting her into the driver’s seat.  I had mixed emotions.  Here’s a woman, incapable of getting around without motorized assistance, unable to raise her own body with the power of her own legs, getting into the driver’s seat of a one metric ton vehicle, and yet, who would be better to drive than a woman on wheels all day?  She could be Earnhardt for all I know.  Any logic here?  Or is this just mean?

Directions:  If you see somebody with a big nose, turn to the person you’re with and say, “Look at the air intake system on that guy,” and then accept their thanks.

Who else is thrilled about our President being so “cool?”  I’m thrilled about it.  He’s like the “cool” teacher in high school, and we all know how great those teachers end up being.  If I could pick out any trait for our nation’s leader it’d be that he/she was “cool.”  And this guy is “cool,” so that’s great.

I was walking around and heard a woman say, “I’m going to kick him in the ‘you know what.’”  One has to assume she wasn’t talking about a man’s ass, because nobody uses “you know what” to mean ass anymore.  This leaves only one other area – the balls.  I have to assume this lady kicked a man in the balls recently.  That stinks.

Anything comes off super-badass awesome when it’s superimposed on top of an American flag.

**That dog’s way strong to begin with, so the first picture is great.  However, the second picture…well the second, will make you light your hair on fire.  I didn’t even add the fireworks.  They just fired off when I put the dog on that flag.

There seems to be a public obsession with cartoon mice?  Have you ever thought about how many exist?  Fievel, Despereaux, Ratatouille, Mickey, Minnie, Mighty, Chuck E. Cheese, Topo Gigio, Speedy Gonzalez, Stuart Little, Jerry from Tom & Jerry.  If I drew a cartoon mouse, it would have rabies because that’s what mice do.  They carry disease.

fr : http://black20.com/article/how-my-brain-works

Kerja keras merupakan suatu konsekwensi logis bagi kita untuk mempertahankan hidup. Setiap kesuksesan yang ada pada diri seseorang, pasti dilalui dengan kerja keras, baik itu dilakukan oleh orang tersebut maupun orang-orang lain di sekitarnya. Suatu pepatah mengatakan bahwa “hanya orang gila yang masuk dalam catatan sejarah” dan memang benar, sampai saat ini sejarah hanya diisi oleh orang-orang yang dianggap ‘gila’ karena bekerja keras untuk menggapai impiannya. Kerja keras adalah energi kita untuk meraih impian dan harapan demi kemajuan kita dan seluruh umat manusia

Kita semua tentu tidak asing lagi dengan Pertamina, BUMN terbesar di indonesia yang bergerak di bidang energi minyak, gas dan panas bumi. Sampai saat ini, produk-produk Pertamina sudah menjadi konsumsi sehari-hari kita, baik itu minyak, gas bahkan sampai dengan aspal yang digunakan untuk membangun infrastruktur di lingkungan kita.
Meskipun Pertamina adalah perusahaan kelas dunia, akan tetapi banyak orang yang memandang sebelah mata kepada perusahaan tersebut. Salah satunya adalah dibuktikan dengan adanya kerjasama dengan perusahaan asing dalam pengelolaan minyak dan gas bumi dengan alasan kemampuan. Padahal saya yakin Pertamina mampu untuk melakukannya. Selain itu ada pandangan juga bahwa produk-produk pertamina kualitasnya kalah jauh dengan produk luar negeri.

Untuk mendekatkan diri dengan masyarakat, Pertamina yang saat ini mengusung semangat Kerja Keras adalah Energi Kita sudah melaksanakan berbagai kegiatan. Kegiatan yang berhubungan dengan tanggung jawab sosial perusahaan (Coorporate Social Responsibility) tersebut antar lain dengan: Membangun hubungan yang harmonis dan menciptakan kondisi yang kondusif untuk mendukung pertumbuhan perusahaan; Memberikan kontribusi dalam memecahkan permasalahan sosial;  Meningkatkan nilai dan budaya perusahaan yang terintegrasi dengan strategi bisnis perusahaan; Bagian dari upaya membangun citra dan reputasi perusahaan (sumber: www.pertamina.com). Selain itu, pertamina juga mengadakan Pertamina Blog Kontes 2009 dengan tema Kerja Keras adalah Energi Kita yang diselenggarakan mulai tanggal 12 Oktober 2009- 5 Januari 2010.

Harapan saya bagi Pertamina ke depannya adalah Agar Pertamina bisa lebih percaya diri dalam melayani masyarakat memenuhi kebutuhan energi sehingga mampu bersaing dengan perusahaan lain dari luar negeri.
Seiring dengan adanya kewajiban perusahaan untuk turut membantu pemerintah dalam upaya penanggulangan kemiskinan, Pertamina dengan program CSR-nya agar lebih di tingkatkan lagi terutama dengan merangkul organisasi masyarakat seperti BKM di setiap desa yang difasilitasi oleh PNPM Mandiri
Dan saya juga berharap agar dewan juri memasukkan artikel ini sebagai pemenang kontes ini karena saya juga menganut konsep Kerja Keras adalah Energi Kita.

Kerja keras merupakan suatu konsekwensi logis bagi kita untuk mempertahankan hidup. Setiap kesuksesan yang ada pada diri seseorang, pasti dilalui dengan kerja keras, baik itu dilakukan oleh orang tersebut maupun orang-orang lain di sekitarnya. Suatu pepatah mengatakan bahwa “hanya orang gila yang masuk dalam catatan sejarah” dan memang benar, sampai saat ini sejarah hanya diisi oleh orang-orang yang dianggap ‘gila’ karena bekerja keras untuk menggapai impiannya. Kerja keras adalah energi kita untuk meraih impian dan harapan demi kemajuan kita dan seluruh umat manusia

Kita semua tentu tidak asing lagi dengan Pertamina, BUMN terbesar di indonesia yang bergerak di bidang energi minyak, gas dan panas bumi. Sampai saat ini, produk-produk Pertamina sudah menjadi konsumsi sehari-hari kita, baik itu minyak, gas bahkan sampai dengan aspal yang digunakan untuk membangun infrastruktur di lingkungan kita.
Meskipun Pertamina adalah perusahaan kelas dunia, akan tetapi banyak orang yang memandang sebelah mata kepada perusahaan tersebut. Salah satunya adalah dibuktikan dengan adanya kerjasama dengan perusahaan asing dalam pengelolaan minyak dan gas bumi dengan alasan kemampuan. Padahal saya yakin Pertamina mampu untuk melakukannya. Selain itu ada pandangan juga bahwa produk-produk pertamina kualitasnya kalah jauh dengan produk luar negeri.

Untuk mendekatkan diri dengan masyarakat, Pertamina yang saat ini mengusung semangat Kerja Keras adalah Energi Kita sudah melaksanakan berbagai kegiatan. Kegiatan yang berhubungan dengan tanggung jawab sosial perusahaan (Coorporate Social Responsibility) tersebut antar lain dengan: Membangun hubungan yang harmonis dan menciptakan kondisi yang kondusif untuk mendukung pertumbuhan perusahaan; Memberikan kontribusi dalam memecahkan permasalahan sosial;  Meningkatkan nilai dan budaya perusahaan yang terintegrasi dengan strategi bisnis perusahaan; Bagian dari upaya membangun citra dan reputasi perusahaan (sumber: www.pertamina.com). Selain itu, pertamina juga mengadakan Pertamina Blog Kontes 2009 dengan tema Kerja Keras adalah Energi Kita yang diselenggarakan mulai tanggal 12 Oktober 2009- 5 Januari 2010.

Harapan saya bagi Pertamina ke depannya adalah Agar Pertamina bisa lebih percaya diri dalam melayani masyarakat memenuhi kebutuhan energi sehingga mampu bersaing dengan perusahaan lain dari luar negeri.
Seiring dengan adanya kewajiban perusahaan untuk turut membantu pemerintah dalam upaya penanggulangan kemiskinan, Pertamina dengan program CSR-nya agar lebih di tingkatkan lagi terutama dengan merangkul organisasi masyarakat seperti BKM di setiap desa yang difasilitasi oleh PNPM Mandiri
Dan saya juga berharap agar dewan juri memasukkan artikel ini sebagai pemenang kontes ini karena saya juga menganut konsep Kerja Keras adalah Energi Kita.