Sabtu, 21 Juni 2008

Skateboarding In The Eighties To The Present

by: Kadence Buchanan

Skateboarding traces its roots to the seventies but it really reached the peak of its popularity in the mid-eighties to the present when major skateboard manufacturers propelled it to new heights. First, they started with half-pipe and vert ramp skateboarding. The manufacturers upgraded the boards to make their decks very wide and to equip them with larger and wider wheels.

As the years went by, the focus shifted to street skateboarding, which brought about a few changes in deck shape and wheel size. With the growing popularity of street skating, new stars rose to prominence, such as Mark Gonzales, one of street skating's pioneers. Gonzales is recognized as one of the first skateboarders to ollie up a curb and to clear a set of stairs. By this time, manufacturers had shifted their focus to maple plywood over more exotic composite materials. Concave decks were now everywhere.

Today’s current generation of skateboarders usually ride on boards that are about 7¼ to 8 inches wide and 30 to 32 inches long. The wheels now are made with a hard durometer (approximately 99a), which provide a faster ride because it reduces the drag on surfaces that are hard. Wheels are now smaller and the boards are lighter, which makes it easier to make difficult tricks. Today’s wheels are only about 48 to 58 mm in diameter and they are as light as they have ever been thanks to advances in skateboarding technology. Meanwhile, the majority of decks are made out of Canadian Maple and the industry standard is the 7 ply because of its increased strength and durability.

Historically, most keen observers of the sport note that the styles of skateboards changed a lot from the 1970s but have been mostly the same since the dawn of the nineties. The shape of today’s contemporary skateboards assumes the design of freestyle boards from the eighties, with a symmetrical shape and a narrower width than previous skateboards.

These observers also note that the popularity of ramp or vert skatebaording was overtaken by street skateboarding in the nineties. With today’s freestyle techniques, the practice of skateboarding has risen to new heights and new stars are emerging all the time. But throughout it all, the ollie has remained as the base of many of today’s tricks.

A Guide to Banking for Students

by: Joseph Kenny

A bank serves as a financial institution, providing complex financial services, right from the maintenance of deposits to extending credit. A little guidance and initiative help students to improve their personal credit record.

Banking offers the convenience of not having to handle large sums of money, thereby minimizing the chances of theft. Moreover, most of the financial institutions enable you to earn interest on your money deposited in a particular account.

There are a number of bank accounts and financial plans that are specifically designed for students. Today, students handle allowances that take care of all their financial requirements and if judiciously saved, could save them from debt in the future too. It is essential for students to select the right bank.

Tips to select the right bank for students:

The following tips would help students in selecting the best bank for themselves:

- Services offered: It is essential to opt for a bank that meets your specific requirements and serves you efficiently.
- Convenience: Before selecting a bank, you should check the location, working hours and your accessibility.
- Insured federally: Always look for a bank that is insured. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or FDCI insures most banks. It indicates that even if the bank goes bankrupt, you would get your money back, up to $100,000.
- Bank fees: There are bank fees associated with the bank accounts. They charge fees on dropping below the minimum balance, overdraft protection, issue of checks and many more.

Requirements in setting up your banking services:

Financial institutions require you to submit certain important documents, for opening a bank account. They are as follows:

- Your social security number
- A photo ID, like a driver’s license, passport or student ID
- Proof of address
- Your signature on a card or form that is maintained by the bank

Essential banking services for students are as follows:

There are student and graduate accounts, with a number of attractive fringe benefits, designed especially for students. Students struggling to excel in their chosen fields usually cannot afford to pay back the money they borrow, within the expected time frame. Banks offer them the facility of special accounts, designed to increase their loyalty to the financial institution in good time.

Some of the essential considerations to be made, before opting for banking services are:

- Student accounts: A student account offers advantages like vouchers and discounts on branded articles and department stores.

- Overdrafts: Overdrafts enable you to pay your university fees without carrying liquid money. Therefore, it is essential to pick an account with an interest- free overdraft limit.

- Overall package: Though, the overdraft limit is necessary, you need to study the overall bank account package offered. You need to check the fees and charges applicable for certain services.

- Support: Before opening a student’s account, you need to ensure that your account provides you with dedicated support at time of crisis.

You should select a banking service only after conducting substantial research and analyzing the banks credentials.

Where To Find Best Arcade Games

by: Jake Jenkins

Arcade games, historically, emerged as early as the late 1920's where you could find theme parks which combined mechanical form of gaming machines and a great fun atmosphere. This was the beginning of modern gaming. The first video game machines appeared in the and were mainly coin-operated. To play the game, you sloted in your coin or token and when that run out the game ended. You then had to purchase further tokens if so desired. Now, most video game machines use solid state electronics to operate. Scores and bonuses are all electronically controlled.

Atari, which started in 1972, was now dominating the market with popular arcade games such as Pong (electronic version Ping Pong), Pacman, Space Invaders, Battlezone, Donkey Kong and the Galaxian. Video arcade games started appearing everywhere including shopping centers, public houses such as bars, supermarkets, college dormitories, bowling alleys and dedicated amusement parks. However, with video arcade games located in seedy places like casinos and gambling houses, their reputation waned. The sales of arcade games further took a hit with the advent of home video game consoles in the early nineties. People rather preferred to buy or rent out the exact games they used to play in these amusement parks and enjoy it from the comfort of their own homes.

With this decline in fortunes, dedicated arcade games businesses started to suffer and many had to close down or diversify. Diversification involved offering other attractions such as rides with arcade games being only a small part of the business and at least offering arcade lovers to still indulge in their passion. Most of these centers are so different, they are no longer what they used to be.

Playing arcade games is now even easier. With most dedicated venues closed due to advances in the gaming console technology and the internet, you do not need to uproot yourself and find a physical venue. If you are into gaming consoles, all you need is to buy or rent your game and enjoy it in the comfort of your own home. On the other hand, if you wish to play free arcade games with a bit of social interaction, you can choose from many internet gaming platforms where you can play as well as chat or interact with other game lovers in the forums.

In spite of the many milestones arcade games have come, the basic essence of the "arcade" is still present in most modern games. Most arcade games offer the game lover different levels of play, starting with the easiest. Once that level has been mastered or maximum points have been scored, you are allowed to move to the next level. Each higher level is progressively more difficult. You stay in the game if you stay "alive" or your "virtual" tokens get finished. Obviously, physical tokens are not needed for online arcade games but the general theme is always present. Newer games such as Street Fighter I and King Fighters offer a two player game mode which futher enhances the gamers experience.

Arcade games have survived, mainly because they are so addictive and they offer a good recreation time for kid, teens and adults alike and they are likely to be with us for a long time to come.

Accessorizing Ideas For Your Prom

by: Christopher Smith

With prom just around the corner, most high school students are trying to make serious plans in order to make this night memorable for them and their dates. Most girls can hardly wait to show off their beautiful dresses or get a look at their guys dressed to the nines. For this special occasion, learning about current fashion trends provides a bit of an edge in choosing the proper dress and accessories for this very special occasion. While many will spend hours, days, even weeks agonizing over the best or most beautiful dress, when the truth is there is so much more to prom than the dress you will wear.

If you have already found your perfect prom dress, that's great but the work doesn't end with the selection of your dress. You must first make sure you find the perfect shoe to wear with your dress. While fashion is important, the most important aspect of finding the perfect prom shoe is comfort. It doesn't matter how great the shoe looks if you can't dance in it. Heels are a wise choice for prom as they emphasize the shape of your legs and "force" you to use better posture. Just make sure they fit well and are comfortable.

You will also want a small delicate purse of handbag for prom rather than your overstuffed every day bag. Your purse for prom only needs to be large enough to hold emergency funds, stockings, lipstick, cell phone, camera, and a few safety pins. If you can, try to find a purse that matches your shoes and dress.

Now that the biggies are out of the way you can concentrate on the small touches that make prom night special: your jewelry. You will want jewelry that matches the personal theme you are trying to set for the evening. If you are going for elegance you will want understated simple jewelry, if you are going for a fun theme with bright colors you might want to find jewelry that is fun and perfect to match your mood. Most importantly, select jewelry that you will wear again at some point in your life. Your jewelry is the icing on your cake for the prom so you do not have to overdo it in order to make an impact.

If you feel a little exposed in your prom dress or are worried about a chill in the air as the night wears on, you can opt to wear a shawl or wrap that compliments your prom dress. This can be a beautiful addition to your prom attire, especially considering that it is not exactly appropriate to wear a jacket for warmth. Your shawl or wrap is an excellent choice for added modesty as well as warmth on your prom night.

Play With the Best Video Game System and Spend Hours of Great Fun

by: Harvey Perl

Video games are one of the best forms of entertainment today. With it, you can really make your imagination come alive and become an entirely different character that fights monsters from different planets or be a Formula 1 race car driver.

To play these games, you usually go to the mall and play it on the arcade. In the arcade, you will see different games available. Some are even placed on realistic cars or fighter planes that are designed to follow every move you make. For example, if you play in a fighter plane, you will see that the machine will follow the plane’s movements, when you bank your plane right, you will feel the machine that you’re in move right too, if you pull up, you will feel that the machine will also point up.

Some of the arcade games even have a vibration feedback to alert you that you’re being hit by the enemy. There are even two player modes where you can go head to head with your friends in a dog fight or you can do cooperative missions where your friend can be your wingman. There are a lot more arcade games available.

However, you can’t go to the arcade everyday because doing so can be too expensive. Therefore, you should buy your own video gaming console where you can play right in your own home. Although it won’t contain all the realistic machines that you can find in the arcade, you can still have that great graphics and sound quality in the games.

Another great thing about buying your own gaming console is that you can have flexibility in selecting your games. There are a wide variety of games available that is not yet available or impossible to put in arcades.

In order to maximize enjoyment when you buy a video gaming system, you want to get the best. However, you may wonder what makes a good gaming console. With the number of gaming consoles available in the market today, people get confused on which gaming console they should purchase. The competition makes gaming console manufacturers develop the latest graphics and sound technology and integrate them in their systems making all the different kinds of gaming consoles in the market really stand out.

In the past, crude graphics and simple sounds were the ones available in the market. And, it was really popular. Today, quite a few gaming console manufacturers are now manufacturing the latest gaming consoles with integrated features that can even rival the power of your home personal computer.

Sega, Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony are four of the big names in the gaming console industry. They create the best gaming consoles in the market and really took the world by storm with each new version released. When you play in these consoles, you will know that it can really give quality entertainment for you and your family. When you have the time, you will spend hours on playing an action packed game with amazing realism and sound quality.

To answer the question on what makes a gaming system the best is not just about the sound quality and the graphics technology integrated on the system. Before you buy a gaming console, make sure that the gaming console has a lot of game titles supported. Besides, people would rather choose a gaming console where thousands of different games are available rather than purchasing a gaming console that only supports a few hundred games. You would eventually grow tired or bored of the only few hundred games available in a particular gaming console.

With thousands of gaming titles you can choose from, you can simply buy another game title if you get bored with your other games.

Another thing you should look for in a gaming console today is if it has additional add-on gadgets that you can connect. Some gaming consoles have memory cards that you can buy for you to save your progress in case you want to continue playing later on. Some have different joysticks that you can plug in for a more realistic feel for the game. For example, if you want your racing game feel more realistic, you can purchase a steering wheel with gas and brake pedals and if you want your fighter plane simulator, you can purchase a joystick that looks similar to fighter plane controls.

There are even gaming consoles that are integrated with a modem. This gaming console can give you the capability to connect to the internet and play with other players across the world.

If you choose a video gaming system that has all these features, you purchased the best video game system available. With the continuing development of different gaming consoles, who knows what other features it may bring.

Prom-Day Prep

by: Differin Staff

The big day is finally here! What you do during the day can have a major impact on you’ll look and feel tonight. Here are some smart prom-day strategies.

Don’t forget food

Skipping meals so you can fit into your outfit is not a smart strategy. Fasting will leave you weak, tired and majorly moody come prom time—and that’s no fun. A few light meals throughout the day will give you the ongoing oomph you need to have a blast at night. Some good-for-you, energy-boosting options include yogurt and cereal, eggs and toast, a whole-wheat bagel with peanut better, a turkey sandwich and snacks like fruit and cheese.

Give your locks luster

A deep conditioning treatment or hair mask can give limp locks the sudden surge they need to be your crowning glory. Leave on for 15-20 minutes under a shower cap or towel, then blow with a hair dryer for a few minutes before you rinse; the heat will help the conditioner penetrate.

Make nice to your nails

Nothing finishes off an outfit like well-groomed nails, and giving yourself a manicure is a cinch. Remove old polish, shape nails, then slick on pretty polish; try a clear or neutral shade or a hue that matches your dress. Feel like some extra-pampering? Grab some girlfriends and treat yourselves to professional manicures (your toes could use a treat too!).

Break a sweat

Doing something active will make you feel healthy and rev up those exercise-induced, feel-good chemicals in your brain. Any activity that significantly increases your heart rate will work: go for a run, climb your stairs ten times, take a bike ride or just do some jumping jacks, push ups and crunches while watching TV.

Catch some z’s

Even though you’ve got lots to do today, taking a nap will help you relax and up your energy for the big—and probably late—night. Even just 20 minutes can revive and refresh. If you having trouble drifting off to dreamland, just laying in a dark, quiet room can help you mellow out.

Soak it up

A scented bubble bath will help relax your body and mind. Toss in some essential oils and it can also leave you soft and silky. Just don’t soak longer than 20 minutes or skin can get wrinkled and dry.

Charge it

Tonight’s going to be one to remember so make sure you’re ready to capture the memories on your camera or camcorder. Make sure batteries are charged and there’s enough room on your memory card for all those pretty pics!

The Way to Find a Terrorific Halloween Costume This Season

by: Matthew Lester

Ever wonder why there are very few Halloween stores when looking for a costume? When you do find a store, they are usually full of people with a small picked over selection of products for sale. Avoid the frustration this year; be smart, take the following suggestion and shop early. The best way to select a unique costume for Halloween is to visit an online Halloween Shop. What better way to find a wide range and huge selection of high quality unearthly costumes, makeup, jewelry, accessories, decorations, party supplies, scary props, videos, tapes and even pumpkin carving patterns from the comfort of your own home. Shopping for Halloween items online is becoming increasingly popular.

Online costume stores offer quality costumes for every age group and size. Adult costumes featuring like various historical and cultural characters, clown costumes, French maid costumes, pirate costumes, funny costumes, witch costumes, devil costumes, vampire costumes, nurse costumes, cowboy costumes, the list is endless. What’s great about these stores is they can also be used for other holidays, not just for Halloween. Buy from the store when needing items for school plays, sporting events, birthdays, graduations, anniversaries and for every holiday on the Calendar.

Costume stores strive to provide for those customers who are looking for a costume in all adult men & women sizes, even the hard to find plus size costumes. Among the largely shaped outfits one can find fairies, geisha, goddesses, Red Riding Hoods, gladiators, pirates and werewolves. The younger theatre and Halloween fans are also likely to find interesting outfits here. The online stores offer almost all adult costumes adapted for teens and children with dozens of outfits especially designed for toddlers and babies. See the angel and fairy costumes for the most adorable getups you’ve ever seen for the little ones. Before buying a costume it is strongly recommended that you look at the sizing chart for the manufacture of the particular item as each of the manufactures make costumes differently. An experienced store staff will be able to give you information and answer questions on costume sizing.

Popular items from the TV, Movies & Comics sections, feature interesting outfits like Batman, Elvis, Harry Potter, characters from Star Wars, Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean, and comic book characters from DC or Marvel Comics such as Superman, Wonder Woman and Spiderman. If you are looking to be a little more risqué this season, have a look at the adult’s sexy costume section. There will be the perfect little number for those scandalous playboy bunnies at heart. These also make great Valentine’s or anniversary gifts for that special someone in your life.

A novelty that is becoming huge for online costume stores is that special item for your pet. Eccentric costumers can now purchase an outfit for their dog or cat, and they get to choose from about a dozen different ones. Imagine trick or treating this year with Rover the super dog or Fluffy the pirate cat. Now there’s something you don’t see every day.

All Halloween fans know costumes are not complete without accessories. These online masquerade shops contain quite a lot of accessories to top off your costume. In the accessory section you’ll find beards, wigs, jewelry, wings, horns, shoes, weapons, helmets, capes, robes, hats etc. In the makeup section you can find all sorts of makeup kits, face colors, blood, fangs, prosthetics and other stuff you might need for the Halloween season.

The larger online costume shops will also have products for magicians and clowns, where they can find dozens of prop articles from lights, smoke machines, puppets, magic hats, swindle card decks and some other stuff to put on a great show for children and adults alike.

Don’t’ miss out on the show stopping party decorations and supplies before checking out of the store. No party would be complete without a blood feast of holiday napkins, balloons, themed plates, cups and utensils. You will also be able to pick up other fantastic items like glow in the dark skeleton props, bats and spooky spider webs. So what are you waiting for, check out an online store for that perfect Halloween costume this season skipping the lineups and picked over items. Share in the Halloween spirit and type in that eerie URL to buy exactly what you are looking for… and in your size!

For more information about please visit http://www.costumecauldron.com/