FinalGear.com Forums - Off-Topic

Global warming a scam? Hacked Hadley data might suggest so.

freefall — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:54:06 GMT

Quote:

Originally Posted by Examiner

The University of East Anglia's Hadley Climatic Research Centre appears to have suffered a security breach earlier today, when an unknown hacker apparently downloaded 1079 e-mails and 72 documents of various types and published them to an anonymous FTP server. These files appear to contain highly sensitive information that, if genuine, could prove extremely embarrassing to the authors of the e-mails involved. Those authors include some of the most celebrated names among proponents of the theory of anthropogenic global warming (AGW).

...

Some of the most embarrassing e-mails are attributed to Philip Jones, the Director of the CRU; Keith Briffa, his assistant; Michael E. Mann of the University of Virginia; Malcolm Hughes at the University of Arizona; and others. One such e-mail makes references to the famous "hockey-stick" graph published by Mann in the journal Nature:

I've just completed Mike's Nature trick of adding in the real temps to each series for the last 20 years (ie from 1981 onwards) amd from 1961 for Keith's to hide the decline. Mike's series got the annual land and marine values while the other two got April-Sept for NH land N of 20N. The latter two are real for 1999, while the estimate for 1999 for NH combined is +0.44C wrt 61-90. The Global estimate for 1999 with data through Oct is +0.35C cf. 0.57 for 1998.

...

As embarrassing as the e-mails are, some of the documents are more embarrassing. They include a five-page PDF document titled The Rules of the Game, that appears to be a primer for propagating the AGW message to the average subject/resident of the United Kingdom.

Whoop-de-doo :rolleyes:

The file(s) in question on TPB.

Technology of Tomorrow! circa 1950

CrazyRussian540 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:16:02 GMT

Just imagine if they were right.....

I'm still trying to figure out how "Tomorrow's Engine" is supposed to work.

USPS: "Fuck you childhood".

argatoga — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:34:19 GMT

http://consumerist.com/5408444/north...letter-program

Quote:

New security rules have proven too complex for Alaska's post offices to bear, so they're ending their participation in Operation Santa, the 50-year-old program where letters addressed to "Santa Claus, North Pole" are answered by volunteers. The program will continue elsewhere, reports the Associated Press, but when I called the USPS to find out where letters should be addressed I was told parents should contact their local post offices for information.

The United States Postal Service has been running the current version of Operation Santa since the 1940s, when the public got to help out by responding to individual letters. In 1954, the Alaskan town of North Pole got in on the scam in a big way. But then our modern legal system got in the way, when a registered sex offender was discovered volunteering in Maryland in 2008. (I can't find any mention of what offense led to his registration, which seems like info you would need before determining whether he posed a threat. It's a lot easier to say "Omg sex offender coming after your children!" though.) This event forced the USPS to close the entire program for a few days while they addressed security issues.

Now they've addressed it: the last names and addresses of kids who write in are encrypted, and it's up to each participating post office to decide whether or not they can handle the new complexity. Alaska can't.

Anchorage-based agency spokeswoman Pamela Moody said dealing with the tighter restrictions is not feasible in Alaska.

"It's always been a good program, but we're in different times and concerned for the privacy of the information," she said.

If that news didn't shatter your holiday illusions about the postal service, here's one more thing: Anchorage is now handling all the North Pole postal cancellation marks. To be fair, North Pole was never equipped to handle the thousands of requests each year, so Fairbanks did it until this year. Fairbanks, however, is only about 10 miles northeast of North Pole, while Anchorage is about 260 miles south.

What to look for in a camcorder?

Blind_Io — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:59:54 GMT

I would like to get a camcorder at some point. I want to use it mostly for documenting my off road trips and such. I plan to build a mount that will attach to the dash and point out the windscreen.

Honestly, I know fuck-all about video cameras, the last one my family had was made around 1989. So what features should I look for? Since I plan on using the camera while on the road, an easily replaceable media is important. A HDD is out, I don't want to haul a laptop with a big external drive along on my trips. I also need something that can function through the vibration of off road and dirt road driving.

Of course the smaller the camera, the better.

I don't need something that is really state-of-art. A used camera that is a couple years old will be fine if it has the ability to do what I want at a more reasonable cost.

Anybody planning on watching the Leonid shower tonight?

spicysaurus — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:19:56 GMT

I was thinking of it, but it happens at 3 AM where I am. Dunno if I'm that committed to space debris.

How do you Private Message someone?

Phaze91 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:29:17 GMT

Just curious, i'd like to speak to someone privately but i can't seem to find out how. If anyone can help i'd much appreciate it.

Car related movie's dvd menu/dvd cover

mancs — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:01:28 GMT

Hi there guys!

I'm making a dvd, and I need to make a good menu, and a good dvd cover.

I was wondering, whitch dvd menu / dvd cover was your favorite? Can be non car related as well, I just need some motivation :)

Thanks!

The Christmas Tree Thread

Olie — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:38:15 GMT

Well its getting on to that time of the year again.

This is the place to show and discuss all things Christmas tree.

I'll start off with the latest addition to our house. A 7ft lovely looking.... plastic tree.

Pics:

Topped with some glass red and clear birds and a some fairy lights

the handwriting thread

Ramseus — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:18:15 GMT

For those who either don't bother with Random Thoughts or can't be bothered to read every post, LeMans GTR got the random thoughts thread started on everyone showing off their nice/crappy handwriting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeMans GTR (Post 1170017)

Random Thought: What's everyone's handwriting like?

I think it's worth its own thread. So come one, come all, let us compare ourselves to Mr. Perfect-hand! (aka. Nabster :P) I'll show my writing later tonight.

FG Shirts&Vinyls November Order Thread

Quiky — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:38:37 GMT

Creating this thread for those that have questions or want to discuss order #2.
The 2X and 3XL sizes went up in price due to an error we made(printer didn't mention the cost of 2/3xls is more than s-xl). The blanks for the 3XL shirts are double the cost of a S-XL size shirt, so we have had to raise the price a little to compensate for that issue on this batch.

Static clings and vinyls are 2 for $4.

We have added UPS&Fedex for Domestic+International orders. Yes, Fedex&UPS are expensive for international orders, but you can group-order the shirts and save on the shipping(you need to organize it).

Orders are open November 14th - November 29th. Paypal & Google Checkout are accepted.
Western Union+Check/Money order are accepted by request only. PM/Email me if you wish to order through that method.

Ships December 10th.

Water found on Moon after Nasa 'bombing' mission

Sir Stiggington — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:38:02 GMT

Quote:

A "significant amount" of frozen water has been found on the Moon, NASA has announced.

"The discovery opens a new chapter in our understanding of the Moon," the US space agency said in a statement.

The discovery follows a mission last month in which Nasa "bombed" the Moon in the hope of finding H20.

The LCROSS expedition involved crashing a rocket into the surface of the Earth's only satellite, to kick up a cloud of debris into space that scientists believed may show evidence of water.

There were fears that the experiment had been a damp squib after live pictures relayed back from the Moon showed no sign of an impact.

Finding water, which could be used for drinking, making fuel and providing oxygen, has major implications for the future of moon exploration.

A ready supply of water would make it far more practicable to build lunar bases or launch missions to Mars from the Moon.

As part of the LCROSS mission one rocket slammed into the Cabeus crater, near the Moon's southern pole, at around 5,600 miles (9,000 kilometres) per hour. It was followed four minutes later by a spacecraft equipped with cameras to record the impact.

Nasa announced details of its find in a press conference on Friday.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/s...g-mission.html

That I did not expect...

The Beatles Never Broke Up

MadCat360 — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:51:36 GMT

The Beatles Never Broke Up

Normally I don't believe a word of these kinds of crackpot stories, but his evidence is interesting.

The cute thread

LurkerPatrol — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:31:54 GMT

We have an awesome thread, a random thoughts thread, a funny thread, and a defecation thread.

I think it's about time for an aww cute thread.

So get to posting cute things

Barcelona: what to do?

BlaRo — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:12:46 GMT

My family and I plan to visit Barcelona for a few days after Christmas and before New Year's. What's to do and see there? Also, I know absolutely nothing about Spain.

And I really want to see a bullfight. :D

Three times is the charm - Ice crashed again - We have winners from Doodle!

D-Fence — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:12:36 GMT

Icebone on Facebook:

Quote:

The deer's ok, the car's totalled...

IRC:

Quote:

A big bucking fuck ran in front of my car about 2.5 hours ago.
I dodged it, foolishly.
It's been raining for 3 days here, so roads very wet, lost control of the rear, went flying off the road.
Winter tyres on wet road.
Totaled.
I just happened to catch the start of the fence, which is a ramp.
And I went in the air.
For about 50 metres.

If it's true, the following people are winners according to our poll:

Derek, Ruthi, ahpadt, klankymen, cdbob, Jakeradden, bPChaos. They voted Winter 2009. Congratulations.

http://www.doodle.com/3574znqr3pnx89hq

and for the hell of it.

made by Derek from a video we posted a while back:

+ YouTube Video
ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

Talk about being able to predict the future.

Again, congratulations to all winners and sorry for your car Ice, but this is just golden :D

//edit:

If we are being smartasses, then they didn't win, because Winter either starts on December 1st or December 21st.........when we assume it's fall, Eltoro and Darkshark are the winners......but it's frigging cold so I vote Winter :D

My girlfriend is the bestest in the world

camelfarmer — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:08:35 GMT

Contrary to the other thread about her bad taste in TV, she is the bestest girlfriend in the world and is the most awesome thing ever.

Discuss how lucky I am to have her, and how unkind threads about minor grieviences are stupid, and how I should be shot.

I was not coerced in any way in to making this thread

The big thread on defecation!

AiR — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 09:52:13 GMT

This thread is inspired by jayhawks amazing find, the "poo shelf toilet" which lets the user inspect her feces and smell up close! Share your toilet horrors and weird toilet contraptions you've come across in your travels in the world here!

On a hotel in Valetta I found that they had very weird and frightening toilets, when I flushed for the first time I thought there was a blockage somewhere as the level in the bowl just kept rising and I was sure the contents would spill all over the floor! After a few very distressful seconds the bowl then suddenly emptied as it opened a valve in the back and the level quickly dropped as it went rushing out. It was apparently the way they did things down there. Very strange!

I have never been to Japan unfortunately so I have never used one of these which I am thankful for but I hope someone has and can share their experience or other shitty experiences! :lol:

+ YouTube Video
ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

Germany Still Looking for Freedom from David Hasselhoff

MacGuffin — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:59:59 GMT

Quote:

For years, the world has mocked Germany for its love affair with David Hasselhoff. And, for years, Germans have been hoping that the world would forgive and forget. But now that MTV has invited "the Hoff" to perform in Berlin, just like he did 20 years ago when the Berlin Wall came down, their hopes have been dashed.

The Germans have some fairly devastating national trauma to deal with: in addition to the obvious, there were several decades of living in a country divided in half, being stuck in the middle of the Cold War, the non-sale of Opel this week, the controversial Wembley goal of the 1966 World Cup. And then, of course, there's David Hasselhoff.

Countless embarrassing conversations have started like this: "Hasselhoff is still a star in your country, isn't he?" It's not meant as a compliment. The cause of all this, of course, is one of Hasselhoff's songs, "I've Been Looking For Freedom," which dominated the charts during the period of German reunification.

In the 20 years since then, Germany has had plenty of pop stars; bands like the trance-dancing trio Scooter and heavy metal rockers Rammstein are well known in the country. But, outside of Germany, everyone still thinks Hasselhoff is Germany's biggest star. The international success of pop-rockers Tokio Hotel has gone a little way toward improving the situation. But now, thanks to MTV, the legend will live on. On Thursday evening, Hasselhoff will be onstage in Berlin for the Europe Music Awards.

There's a history to all this: On New Year's Eve 1989, Hasselhoff took to the stage in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate to sing his hit "I've Been Looking For Freedom" to an already enthusiastic crowd. Amateur video footage of his performance still makes for some of the most horrid viewing that YouTube has to offer.

+ YouTube Video
ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

Should Hasselhoff take the stage at the music awards with a bit more irony, he might go a long way toward making up for past misdeeds -- such as the jacket bedecked with mini-light bulbs and the piano-keyboard scarf he was wearing in 1989. He might even help change the world's opinion on Germany's well-documented humor deficit.

Still, in light of that ghastly video that did the rounds of YouTube which showed Hasselhoff trying to eat a hamburger in a highly inebriated state, perhaps his honor actually needs defending rather than more mocking. Maybe we should all try and see it from the perspective of "the Hoff." After all, he cannot shoulder all the blame for the destruction of one country's reputation. Who knows, maybe Germany's volatile love for his pop songs ruined his life. If that's the case, it's probably better to talk about collective blame. The punishment will be meted out onstage in Berlin on Thursday evening.

Source: http://www.spiegel.de/international/...659600,00.html

God help us... :blink:

My girlfriend watches Keeping Up With the Kardashians

camelfarmer — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:24:56 GMT

She also watches that other one with two of the sisters. What do I do?

She also likes good shows like top gear just to be clear.

French speakers, i need some help

otispunkmeyer — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:48:16 GMT

can anyone who speaks french and english help me with some translations?

basically i need to know what this says

Quote:

Veuillez noter les couts de transport des ailettes en sortie de Birr
Berxbach à destination de Anvers port :

- unité 1: "stuff" : Euro x
- unité 1: "stuff" : Euro x
- unité 1: "stuff" : Euro x
- unité 1: "stuff": Euro x

idem pour l'unité 2.

Transport Birr / Anvers
1 rotor turbine 12 X 2.80 X 2.80 /140 MT

Depuis chargé, calé sur camion BIRR emplacement facilement accessible
jusque bateau arrivé Anvers , non déchargé

Eur x

Délai de chargement : 2 heures
Délai de déchargement : 1/2 journée

INCLUANT :

- transport routier BIRR/BIRSFELDEN AUHAFEN
- les autorisations, voiture pilote
- la manutention à BIRSFELDEN depuis camion jusque bord bateau rhénan direct
aux heures et jours normaux de travail.
- les droits de port
-le fret rhénan Birsfelden /Anvers par navigation libre et non entravée
par barge ouverte.

EN SUS

- les frais éventuels de bâchage
- les escortes de police (estimation sous toutes réserve env CHF 1650)
- les frais de démontage et remontage de tous obstacles , les frais
d'etudes d'ouvrages d'art ,
les frais imposés par les autorisations selon débours et justificatifs.
- l'assurance de bout en bout
- les frais éventuels de surrestarries du bateau rhénan en cas de
dépassement des délais
ci dessus.
- la forniture éventuelle de bois de calage si necessaire
- la TVA suisse de 7.6 %
- les formalités en douane d'exportation.

Délai d'obtention des autorisation de transport : 6 semaines
Prix remis sous réserves de lecture des plans techniques des colis.

Meilleures salutations

theres virtual beers in it for anyone who has a stab! google translate mostly translates that from french to gibberish

Fort Hood base shooting

Backdraft — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:25:10 GMT

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/11/05...ootings/?imw=Y

What a goddamn tragedy. It's more than enough that soldiers get shot at during deployment, now it's right on their own base.

Anyone have a clue exactly why something like this happened? All I can gather from the media sources was that he was to be deployed soon and was upset about it, and that he was a psychiatrist at the base (presumably treating PTSD, perhaps that's what got to him?)

[Movie] The Horribly Slow Murderer with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon

D-Fence — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:58:16 GMT

+ YouTube Video
ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

Better watch in HD on YouTube.

I couldn't decide if it was entertainment, cool video or awesome. It's all. I laughed so hard at this shit :D

Thinking of a exchange year

IVIaster — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:12:28 GMT

So Im now in my third year studing Mechanical Engineering, majoring in Automotive Engineering and im thinking its a good to time to have a half/full year studying abroad.

I have decided on either US or Germany and the choices my university provides are the following:

US
Iowa State University
Michigan Technological University
University of Virginia
University of Toledo
North Carolina State University

GE
Technische Hochschule Aachen
Technische Universität Darmstadt
Technische Universität Ilmenau
Technische Universität München
Universität Stuttgart

If anybody of you are studying in these or just know about them Id would like to know if they are particularry accomplished in the field of automotive or mechanical engineering. Plus any other useful and/or fun information how they are like or if you just want to promote your alma mater.

Planning on going next year or the one after that. :D

Who else is dodging bullets?

Scott — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:55:26 GMT

It seems that everyone around me has been sick in recent weeks, but I keep avoiding all of the bugs! Some had strep throat, some had regular flu, and a few had H1N1, not to mention the sinus infections, bronchitis, and a few other things I cannot recall at the moment?

So who else has been able to dodge all of the nastiness floating around and stay healthy?

The USS New York arrives in New York

CrazyRussian540 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:16:29 GMT

Quote:

A warship built with steel salvaged from the World Trade Center has arrived in New York City.

The USS New York sailed up the Hudson River to near Ground Zero, where it fired a 21-gun salute in tribute to those killed in the 2001 attacks. It was watched by relatives of 9/11 victims, along with members of the emergency services and the public. The US Navy is to hold an official commissioning ceremony for the new warship on Saturday. The New York set off on its maiden voyage from Louisiana, where it was built, nearly three weeks ago. The bow of the boat contains 7.5 tonnes of melted steel from the fallen buildings of the World Trade Center. The ship's crest includes images of the Twin Towers and features the colours of the city departments that first responded to the terrorist attacks in which nearly 3,000 people died.

'A transformation'

People gathered by the waterfront to watch the ship's 21-gun salute honouring those who died in the 11 September attacks. The crew stood to attention along the deck as the guns were fired. Among those watching was JoAnn Atlas, who lost her firefighter husband in the attacks. "We have to remember. It's a way to honour them," she told the Associated Press news agency. Rosaleen Tallon, whose firefighter brother was among those killed, said she was pleased that the steel from the towers had been reused in the ship. "It's a transformation of it from something really twisted and ugly," she told AP. "I'm proud that our military is using that steel." About one in seven of the 361 sailors serving on the ship are from New York state, a higher percentage than would normally be the case, a Navy spokeswoman told AP. She said there had been many requests from Navy personnel to serve on the ship.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8337868.stm

Lets....

klutch — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:32:07 GMT

Post some fucking chairs!

Razor burn on my ass...

klutch — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:02:40 GMT

Alright, so a week ago, I was doing my usual shaving routine in the shower, got my chest, abs and balls done in advance of having a girl over. I don't usually have any issues in this sense; the only irritation I've had is right at the lower waistline where my boxer elastic rubs against the freshly-shaven pubes, usually preventable with a little moisturizing lotion immediately after shaving. I had laser hair removal on my upper back - I had some pretty minimal, short, albeit black hair there, and just need to go in for a second treatment to have it permanently removed, along with the ab hair next.

Anyways, this got me thinking...chicks must dig a smooth ass to grab when I'm pounding away. Figured I'd do some trimming there to see what I'd be in for, in the event I worked up the courage to have some 50-something Indian lady zap my ass with a laser for an hour. So I started with a quick swipe of the razor...and another, and another. Soon, I felt like I was 10 again, my ass completely hairless. It was great, until later that day; about 6 hours of sitting later, my ass was itching like I had sat in a nest of ass-raping ants. I had a bunch of those nasty red bumps, like you would get after shaving with a really dull razor, almost like zits. I've still got them, like 5 days later. I didn't want either of the girls I'm seeing to notice, and I'm getting sick of doggystyle to prevent them the chance to even grab my ass. Would Preparation H work in a case like this? Should I moisturize? Not sit for a week? What?

The holiday hat your avatar thread

LurkerPatrol — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:03:39 GMT

So in the past we've had a santa hat your avatar thread and a halloween hat your avatar thread. So why not take it another notch and make it all holidays?
I've asked Viper if it's ok to make a new one while the other one is still in the off-topic section and he's granted me permission.

Post here if you'd like to get your avatar in the holiday spirit and some generous photoshop experts might just do that for ya. You can also show off your own creations!

Following this message are some example avatars with hats that you can download. Few notes: These are either .png or .gif files, so they are transparent - therefore save them directly by right clicking and clicking "save file as". Also, these are merely examples, you can pick any other hat obviously. As always, before you change your avatar to one that has been hatted: MAKE SURE YOU SAVE YOUR OLD ONE. If you don't have it saved somewhere on your desktop, you will remain with whatever hat was put on until you find another one. The photoshoppers may not be able to recollect and give you back your unedited avvies.

I will try to continue editing the main post and add different example hats for different holidays.

Halloween:

Thanksgiving:
(credit to BlaRo for the avatar image)

Christmas:

TV ads - how annoying are they where you live?

the Interceptor — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 09:59:58 GMT

Here in good old Germany, the two big groups of commercial channels (RTL group and Sat1/PRO7 group) have just disclosed that they don't make enough money off the commercials and thus plan to move their efforts to pay-tv via small steps. Yet, over the years, ad-breaks have grown from a nuisance to a quite annoying and substantial disruption of ones televisional pleasure.

Then, I asked myself whether ads are the same everywhere. As far as I know, the US-American tv still goes for more smaller breaks, when the German tv goes for less, but longer breaks. As an example, let me talk you through the appearance of the free-tv-premiere of "Transformers" on PRO7 on next sunday.

Of course, they started by cutting the movie from 143 minutes to 129 minutes by leaving out the end credits and little bits and pieces they didn't deem important. The actual broadcast will look something like this:

==========================================
...
"This movie will be presented to you by sponsor X"
...
movie starts, they'll show you 30-45 minutes to drag you into the story enough to make you stay for the whole thing
...
"we'll be back soon with Transformers, brought to you by sponsor X"
7-8 minute ad break
preview of 1-3 other shows on the channel
one more ad of 20-30 seconds
"now, Transformers continues, brought to you by sponsor X"
...
movie continues for 30 minutes
...
"we'll be back soon with Transformers, brought to you by sponsor X"
7-8 minute ad break
preview of 1-3 other shows on the channel
one more ad of 20-30 seconds
"now, Transformers continues, brought to you by sponsor X"
...
movie continues for 30 minutes
...
"we'll be back soon with Transformers, brought to you by sponsor X"
7-8 minute ad break
preview of 1-3 other shows on the channel
one more ad of 20-30 seconds
"now, Transformers continues, brought to you by sponsor X"
...
movie continues for 30 minutes
...
"we'll be back soon with Transformers, brought to you by sponsor X"
7-8 minute ad break
preview of 1-3 other shows on the channel
one more ad of 20-30 seconds
"now, Transformers continues, brought to you by sponsor X"
...
remaining 20 minutes of the movie
...
the end credits will be replaced by a screen with a few infos about the movie, accompanied by an ad
"this was the movie Transformers, brought to you by sponsor X"
...
==========================================

At this time, 170 minutes will have passed, which were filled with 129 minutes of movie and 41 minutes of ads and previews. :|

Does anyone seriously wonder that downloading stuff from the internet is popular? And more importantly, are they as annoying on tv where you live?

Post your Halloween costumes

LeVeL — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:02:51 GMT

Better shot coming later:

Spoiler Text: (Click here to toggle display)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbYtqAWDF2U

one more:

If you were to go to Germany/Austria/Switzerland to improve your German...

Jimi Hendrix — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:31:52 GMT

...which part of these countries is the best for that?

I mean, in every country, there are regions where the accent or the dialects are really hard for learners and others where the opposite happens.

My German is more than basic, it's pathetic nowadays, but if luckily some day my level was good enough so that it allowed me to express myself in German and I decided to travel to a German speaking place to polish (no pun intended) my skills, which place would you advise me to go?

Thanks in advance.

The worst person living today

2Billion — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:05:47 GMT

Quote:

B.C. police seek serial groin-kicker after series of attacks

"I just want to know what her problem is"

LANGLEY, B.C. -- Police in Langley are investigating after a woman kicked a man in the groin so hard he lost a testicle -- the latest in a series of similar assaults.

"I just want to know what her problem is," victim Anthony Clark, 22, said this week. "People like her shouldn't be on the streets."

Mr. Clark was walking in the Brookswood area of Langley in early September when he passed his assailant on the sidewalk.

"I was looking down and then I took a passing glance and saw her walk up to me," he said.

That's when the young woman inexplicably kicked him in the groin hard enough to send one of his testicles into his abdomen.

Mr. Clark said he wasn't aware of the severity of his injury until later that night when he "noticed something was missing."

He consulted his doctor and a specialist, both of whom believed his testicle could be brought down again with surgery.

It wasn't until he woke up afterwards that he discovered the doctors were wrong - the force of the assault had caused his testicle to rupture. It had to be removed and will be replaced by a prosthetic before Christmas.

"My doctors say I will still be able to have children," Mr. Clark said. "But at 22 that's not something I want a stranger, this woman, to decide."

Embarrassed by the situation, Mr. Clark didn't go to the police until nearly four weeks after the attack.

Constables have told him there have been three or four similar assaults on other men, Mr. Clark said.

Langley RCMP said they would like to speak to other victims, although there have been no official reported incidents, spokeswoman Const. Holly Marks said.

The suspect is described as a Caucasian woman, in her late teens or early 20s. She was between five-foot-five and five-foot-seven and 130 pounds with a slim build and brown hair.

http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=2155193

Seriously, OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! Only the worst person in the world could be a serial groin attacker.

Has anyone taken the GRE?

_HighVoltage_ — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:58:46 GMT

Has anyone taken the GRE test? Share yoyur results, if you're not ashamed. I'm taking it in two weeks and I'm starting to freak out a little bit...

Commercials you just think are great

Whappeh — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:14:59 GMT

You know, I was going through the other thread (the commercials that suck thread) and realized there are a ton of really awesome ones that people from around the world may appreciate. So which ones do you love? Which ones are funny? Which ones do you think are amazing?

Total badass:

+ YouTube Video
ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

Snickers "Feast" commercial:

+ YouTube Video
ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

Favre making fun of him self, makes me laugh:

+ YouTube Video
ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

Nike's "Take it to the next level" ad:

+ YouTube Video
ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

A Belgian hommage to Top Gear... with bicycles... and a Hummer

Alasondro Alegré — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:46:22 GMT

Quote:

I found this crazy video of a Belgian show called Gala van de Flandrien doing a little a Top Gear spoof with bikes. My Dutch is a little lacking, so I have no idea what's going on, but it's quite entertaining none the less.

http://www.sporza.be/permalink/1.619199

Post yer Pumpkins!

TerranCmdr — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:33:38 GMT

I don't know how big you guys in the UK are on carving pumpkins for Halloween, but I've always done it, ever since I can remember.

Just carved these puppies up last night. (The white one belongs to my girlfriend. Her second pumpkin ever!)

Do you have any tattoos?

spicysaurus — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:59:19 GMT

Just curious about the inked crowd here. Feel free to post photos of yours if you like. Or share the story behind it!

Cheerleader hopefull had a flu shot....

JohnnyRacer — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:41:16 GMT

and something went horribly wrong.

+ YouTube Video
ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

She can only walk backwards and tends to convulse violently when walking forward but when she runs, she seem normal.

I think it's bullshit.

Also...

Step 1= Play this cheerleading link in one, go to 16 seconds and mute the video.
Step 2= Play this

+ YouTube Video
ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

Step 3- Go back to watching the cheerleading video really quickly
step 4- Buy one way ticket to hell but possibly laugh all the way there

Cool commercials from around the globe.

Buffy_09 — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:35:24 GMT

While we have the "Commercials that annoy thr @#$% out of you" thread, I thought it might be good to see some cool ads around.

Here's some of my favourites

+ YouTube Video
ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

*You won't get the joke if you can't speak Irish. Basically he is talking complete nonsense*

+ YouTube Video
ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

+ YouTube Video
ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

+ YouTube Video
ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

*I just thought it was cute :blush:

+ YouTube Video
ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

:lol:

+ YouTube Video
ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

+ YouTube Video
ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

Awww

Post Your Shoes

CrazyRussian540 — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:57:28 GMT

Following this post, I decided to make this thread.
Pretty self explanatory, its just like the Post Your Watches thread.

Right now I have the following.

Puma Repli Cat III

Puma Ferrari SF Supersqualo Low GT

Puma Future Cat Low

Dying: Puma Alsten III

Recently Departed: Puma Munich CC (CC=Color Changing)

All I can say is thank god for the Puma Outlet Store and their constant ridiculous sales. The Repli Cats are over 2 years old, but their my favorite, so I'm taking really good care of them. They look like they are almost brand new. Last time I was at the Puma outlet, they had a 2-for-1 deal, and they were giving away their special Puma shoe cleaner. Thats come in handy since most of those shoes are suede and hard to clean. Thats really helped my Repli Cats.

I also have a pair of hiking shoes, but I don't remember what they're called off the top of my head. I'll post those later. And some formal shoes too.

I hate it when yahoo posts up these articles on their front page...

Cellos88GT — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:06:48 GMT

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Five-o...25828.html?x=0

Quote:

Five of the Most Overpriced Cars

If you're shopping for a new car right now, you're in a dream market. Sales are low, incentives are high and dealerships are ready to negotiate. It should be easy to get a great price on a new car.

[See list of the Most Discounted Cars for Fall 2009]

But don't be dazzled by the heaps of incentives. Sure, big discounts or cash-back offers save you money at the dealership, but you're going to own the car you buy for a long time. When shopping for the best value, you need to find a car that saves you money on day one, and continues to help you save over the entire life of the car.

To help you get a good deal for the long haul on a new car, we've looked at cars that have recently been given big discounts and checked out what IntelliChoice says they'll cost to own over five years, including maintenance, fuel costs and depreciation. We also used up-to-the-minute pricing data to see what car buyers just like you are currently paying on popular models, and found alternatives that offer more value. Popular or heavily discounted cars may be tempting, but when the long term costs start mounting, you'll be glad you passed on these overpriced rides.

[Also see the Best Car Deals Available in October]

Dodge Grand Caravan

Looking for minivan? You're probably looking at the Dodge Grand Caravan. Not only is the Dodge credited with launching the minivan segment, but it's the only domestic automaker still in the minivan biz. The Grand Caravan features innovative seating arrangements, a rear-seat entertainment system and handy storage cubbies. It gets even more tempting when you consider the nearly $4,500 cash back that Dodge has been offering in some parts of the country.

But, while it's cheap at the dealership, IntelliChoice says the Grand Caravan isn't the best long-term value. Over five years the Grand Caravan will cost you $43,050 to own, when you factor in repairs, depreciation and maintenance costs. That's twice what a discounted model costs. Compare that to the Toyota Sienna minivan, which, even with its higher starting price, only costs $40,390 to own over five years, according to IntelliChoice.

That value gets even better. According to pricing firm TrueCar, buyers in early October are actually paying a national average price of $23,788 for the Grand Caravan, and an average national price of $23,642 for the Sienna. That's not a huge price difference up front, but over the long haul, the Dodge Grand Caravan is one overpriced van.

Chevrolet Cobalt

The conventional wisdom is that compact car shoppers are trying to save a little cash by opting for basic transportation. The problem is, sometimes that basic transportation can end up costing more in the long run. Take the Chevrolet Cobalt. Chevy's been offering it with zero-percent financing -- and with a starting price of $14,990, it's a pretty affordable option.

Over the long term, that changes. IntelliChoice says that over five years, the Cobalt will cost about $31,916 to own. That's more than twice the national average price of $15,042 that buyers are paying for the Cobalt.

For a better option, check out the Honda Civic Hybrid. Yes, it costs more up front than the Cobalt, but over five years, IntelliChoice says it only costs $26,993 to own. With car shoppers currently paying an average of about $23,000 nationally for the Civic Hybrid, that means the car's exceptionally low depreciation, fuel and maintenance costs make it a lot cheaper than the Cobalt. If you can't swing the upfront costs of the Civic Hybrid, opt for the regular Civic. In early October, the average price people are paying nationally for one is about $15,000. Plus, it has a total cost of ownership of $28,375, saving you over $4,000 as compared to the Cobalt.

Suzuki Grand Vitara

Compact SUVs are quickly becoming the station wagon for the current generation of families. They offer utility in a tidy package and many can be great values. But not all of them are. The Suzuki Grand Vitara has a base price of about $18,500, which is average for the class. Its extra-long warranty can make it seem like an excellent value. But its five year cost of ownership -- a whopping $39,434 -- tells a different story.

A better value is the Toyota RAV4. It starts at about $2,000 more than the Grand Vitara, but over five years will cost you $33,336 to own according to IntelliChoice, so you'll end up saving $4,000. In some regions, Toyota is offering cash back on the RAV4 or zero-percent financing, which only adds to your savings.

Subaru Legacy

For 2010, Subaru redesigned the Legacy, its midsize sedan. However, there are still some 2009 models on dealer lots. Since the 2009 models are likely to have heavy discounts so dealers can make way for the 2010 models, a 2009 Legacy can seem like a good deal -- especially since its $20,795 starting price includes all-wheel drive. Currently, buyers are paying a national average price of about $19,000 for the 2009 Legacy; that's below invoice price.

However, with IntelliChoice estimating the 2009 Legacy's five-year cost of ownership at $35,603, paying below invoice doesn't seem like such a deal. A better long-term value for a midsize car is the 2009 Toyota Prius. Like the Legacy, the 2009 Prius is the last model year before a 2010 redesign, so dealers may be willing to negotiate on price. The 2009 Prius starts at $22,000, but IntelliChoice says the Prius should only cost $25,365 to own over five years.

Ford Explorer

Midsize SUVs are for people who need more power and space than a compact SUV can deliver. The Ford Explorer can do both, and recently Ford has been offering the 2009 Explorer with about $4,500 cash back in some regions (the 2009 and 2010 models are essentially the same, so you might as well buy the 2009 model and get the discount).

Sound like a deal? Not according to IntelliChoice. The five-year cost of ownership on the Explorer is $48,280, almost twice what you'll pay at the dealership. If you opt for the Toyota Highlander instead, you'll see a total cost of ownership of $41,089 over five years, saving you about $7,000. Plus, Toyota is offering $1,000 cash back on the Highlander in some regions and zero-percent financing in others, helping you save even more.

Do people really believe this Toyota-nuthugging bull####? I'm sorry but the POS #### sucking Toyota Prius isn't anywhere near the same league as the Subaru Legacy.

:wall: :shakefist:

I guess Toyota sales must be down...

H1N1 vaccine: are you getting it?

epp_b — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 04:08:20 GMT

Just a simple poll (and explain why or why not ;))

I had written a whole essay here, but decided against it. Maybe I'll post it if this becomes a major discussion point.

FinalGear F@H Team nearly in the top 400

GTV V6 — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:33:46 GMT

Come and help...

Team ID 42134...

Go Here to see how we are doing...

P.S. This post is a copy of the 1st post in the April 9th 2009 thread when we were at 500, Go team Finalgear.

People you admire/childhood heroes

nsx_23 — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:57:27 GMT

So, who did you admire or aspire to be as a kid, Or currently admire?

2 people that I looked up to as a kid (and still do):

1) Clarence Kelly Johnson

I admired him from a young age. His no bullshit, can-do attitude and genius for aircraft design basically inspired me to get into aerospace engineering, and I hope someday I can be like him in a "skunkworks" of sorts.

2) Ben R. Rich

Successor to Kelly. As smart as Kelly, but was a much easier going to deal with leader.

3) Enzo Ferrari

4) Horacio Pagani

I don't think I need to say too much about the last two.

Commercials that annoy the @#$% out of you.

jeffy777 — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:31:54 GMT

What commercials (new or old) really annoy/bug/bother you?

For me, it's got to be the vaginal itch and stool softener commercials. They usually come on at really great times too, like when I'm eating dinner :barf:

There are some that are a lot worse, but this is the only one I found on youtube:

+ YouTube Video
ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

Also, the Progressive Insurance commercials with that ditzy chick are quite annoying as well.

A couple prime examples:

+ YouTube Video
ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

+ YouTube Video
ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don't have Flash installed.

What's your latest purchase?

jetsetter — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:08:34 GMT

We have a "New Toys" thread in the Technology subforum so this one is for everything else.

Basically an illustrated version of the zombie accounts in The Zombie Survival Guide. The art is good and it is a quality product but I would have liked to see the stories expanded or some new stories that were not covered in the guide.

I also just bought: