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After frustating research all over the Internet / books I ask the following: Have anyone seen or developed alternate rules for KM urban setting?
Setting: The PCs are young nobles in a large underground metropolis (30k inhabitants + 60k slaves), and are competing with other noble houses and merchant houses for power and land. They start in charge of modest noble house.
What I've been considering / searching: - How to simulate the situation in the actual city? How to distribute districts etc. with other factions? Should all factions have their own districts which they develop? I'd like the players to be able to build actual KM buildings in the city and this way develop their own noble house. Is this sensible considering that the annihilation of a faction is part of everyday life? Other option is to divide the city in to hexagons? There would be the major attractions visible, but perhaps the other hexagons should be under the fog-of-war. The power in the city among other depends on the amount of the hexagons the players rule. How all this could be done in such way that the game balance is about right?
- The wilderness exploration? The actual city developing should be the center piece of the game, but I would like to make it possible players of explore the dangerous underground surroundings, enabling them to recover slaves, treasures and other resources as mines etc. This should be done in such fashion that the game balance remains somehow intact.
Please, give your opinions, everything is appreciated and nothing ready made is not been expected. I am more than happy also to elaborate on the above message.
[Please merge this with Kingdom Building -thread if necessary]
Sounds like a wickedly cool idea.
As a starter - you could have the PCs suddenly thrust into a city with a power vacuum (perhaps an iron fisted ruler has just died?), which would simulate to a degree the factor that no-one else yet controls a certain area...
You could also have someone else using the PCs as a front for their own powerplay...
Perhaps the 'building' of buildings isn't actually building anything... perhaps they are actually 'converting' already built 'buildings' to their own cause & away from another factions control...?
Or, as another idea (all of these being on the fly), you obviously have a pre-populated city...so it's really hard to build anything...right...? Wrong - perhaps you are building something - only it's not a whole neighbourhood like in KM RAW - maybe it's actually just one or two new buildings in an existing area (but which gives the same bonuses)...? After all KM's rules are VERY general & don't really tie into super specifics out of the kingdombuilding mini game...right...? :)
I'll be reading this thread with GREAT interest - so you better tell us where you go with it! ;-p
Greetings, fellow travellers.
I like your ideas. Sounds very drow-ish or dwarven with their huge underground delvings.
My first thoughts were: Cool, Brevoy in a great cavern - look in the Underdark campaign setting for more inspiration. If you can get your hands on it, look for the boxed set of Dwarves of Krynn (? orange box with Larry Elmore cover of a dragon sighting a small band of dwarves pushing a wagon full with treasure) - there you'll find whole floor plans of underground cities.
I would imagine a great cavern (high-domed of course) with lots of chasms criss-crossing the ground, spanned by bridges, lots of entry/exit ways controlled by the different houses/factions. You definetly need a lake and a river. Oh, and a waterfall coming all the way down from the ceiling (hundreds of feet above), dropping into the lake!
Hm. Second thought: Serpent Skull AP #41: 1000 fangs below has a (IMO) great description an old, long-forgotten Serpentfolk city Ilmurea inhabited by different (feuding) factions which could serve for inspiration.
As for how do the PCs fit in:
Exploration: Either there are passages/cracks offering access to whatever is buried underneath the avalanche or the avalanche has not only buried the district, but a new passage has opened as well, offering access to a vast underground landscape unknown to the city's inhabitants before the catastrophy.
Thank you, Philip!
I've to a bit clarify the setting, because perhaps I simplified a bit too much the situation for the opening post. TSo, the PCs are part of a noble house, which still has it old ruler alive and kicking. So, before getting into actual kingdom building there is some scheming to do. This includes using the opportunities to sabotage businesses of other members of the house (NPC), getting alliances (perhaps with someone powerful who will use the PCs later to his own benefit, as Philip suggested), and hopefully in the end PCs reveal the betrayal which have been festering in the family, leading them to take the control of the noble house. Then will the kingdom building really commence!
I like the concept of converting the buildings from other factions (this could likely be interpreted as an indirect attack). Those may also be so neutral buildings which are being converted or their allegiance have been changed to the desired state.
I have the city populated (in a very general way), and due to the reason it is underground, the free space to build something is very limited. There are two main ways to build something: demolish old buildings or mine the city cavern larger (this is closely monitored by the city dwellers as uncontrolled mining could lead to collapse of the cavern (c. mile by mile).
If I approach this issue from the other way around, and presume that there is 250 inhabitants in a city block (as RAW), this means that there is only 102 city blocks for the inhabitants (25500/250) and if I extend this to slaves, it makes 144 city blocks. So 246 city blocks altogether. This feels awfully tight as there are 18 notable noble houses (over 70 altogether), and few merchant houses (syndicates controlled by noble houses), and public buildings (war and magic college, main temple, etc.)
Yes, Philip, I like the idea where you can build buildings actually where ever is a free slot. This might be mandatory to this system to even work. But then again, the noble houses (at least the notable 18) have large estates, almost castles, inside the city. And usually their influence is very strong near those estates. Poor noble houses (over 70%) does not have anything else than more than a modest villas or similar buildings. Giving the whole district could be a bit.. I don't know?
We are not playing the Accountants & Dragons, but I like that the system could make sense in this very specific envinronment.
Greetings, fellow travellers. I like your ideas. Sounds very drow-ish or dwarven with their huge underground delvings. My first thoughts were: Cool, Brevoy in a great cavern - look in the Underdark campaign setting for more inspiration. If you can get your hands on it, look for the boxed set of Dwarves of Krynn (? orange box with Larry Elmore cover of a dragon sighting a small band of dwarves pushing a wagon full with treasure) - there you'll find whole floor plans of underground cities. I would imagine a great cavern (high-domed of course) with lots of chasms criss-crossing the ground, spanned by bridges, lots of entry/exit ways controlled by the different houses/factions. You definetly need a lake and a river. Oh, and a waterfall coming all the way down from the ceiling (hundreds of feet above), dropping into the lake! Hm. Second thought: Serpent Skull AP #41: 1000 fangs below has a (IMO) great description an old, long-forgotten Serpentfolk city Ilmurea inhabited by different (feuding) factions which could serve for inspiration. As for how do the PCs fit in: One of the faction leaders has died/disappeared, the PCs are able to wrest control from his former subjects and start renovating An avalanche or similar catastrophy has buried a whole district underneath rocks and mud, the PCs start by clearing the debris and claim the land for their own. Here, another (more powerful) house could actually come in acting as sponsor, helping the PCs by offering slave labor to do the clean-up. One of the houses has started an excavation leading to the avalanche which has not buried a district but merely opened up a passage to a new system of caverns aka Stolen Lands equivalent. Exploration: Either there are passages/cracks offering access to whatever is buried underneath the avalanche or the avalanche has not only buried the district, but a new passage has opened as well, offering access to a vast underground landscape unknown to the city's inhabitants before the catastrophy. Ruyan.
Thank you, Ruyan!
The setting is very much like Brevoy in a great cavern. With the execption that the society is highly militaristic, matriarchal and dependent on the trade.
I did check on the Dwarven Kingdoms of Krynn and I liked the detailed setting description which gave me already good ideas, for example it seems totally mandatory to have separate food warrens. My original plans included only having a biggish lake in the cavern, something like 1/8 of the total area. This lake also had fungus farms in it and in the middle of it is a island which provides much needed protein in the form of underground cattle. Going to consider the possibility of waterfall!
I had not before heard of the The Thousand Fangs Below AP book, and I have to concur that it has very impressing description of the surroundings. Definately going to dig in to it with better time. It did not, anyway give anything on the game mechanics, which I am lacking.
The idea of exploration of a unknown warren is wonderful. I have been considering it to be a part of the later progression of my adventure. Or should I say, it's an option for the PCs as I am trying to get the game be as sandbox as possible. Of course it might be difficult them to resist the lure of an expedition when all the other signifigant houses gear up for the adventure!
I have a fairly good idea how to drop the PCs in to all this, but the initial problem is still the same: How to implement or modify the great Kingmaker kingdom building (and mass battle) rules to comply with this unique city?
Great you liked some of my ideas, Predatorius.
Mass battle system should not require too many changes, although I'm not there yet in my KM campaign. You have a different terrain than in most standard KM games, but apart from that you could just use the armies presented in the official material and the fan-made ones in the forums; maybe some are rather out of the question/do not fit, but I'd assume a militia-type unit would have the stats as for a surface campaign.
Maybe you could even develop your own units, which have specialized in close-quarter fighting, skirmishing, house-to-house-fighting and use the given ones as guide lines. It would be interesting to create units who gain benefits from being used to use terrain for their advantage! Have you been over to the sticky for KM #4? I think I remember them talking about fan-made units and such, I think there's even a thread dedicated to the mass combat rules around.
Each house would have its own troops - sorry, but again the image of a drow city comes up in my mind, especially after reading
highly militaristic, matriarchal and dependent on the trade
When back home, I'll try to get behind the mechanics and propose some sample units with stats - or point you to the right people in the forums.
Building buildings should not be to different from the standard campaign, IMO - especially if incorporating an avalanche to create new building sites: read a new city grid becomes available.
On the other hand, maybe the PCs are given responsibility of a somewhat neglected sub-district (where they first have to eliminate the local crime lord (read Staglord)) and are taxed with tearing it down and start from scratch.
The mechanics would thus stay the same, only the origins for the building site would change.
After reading Philip's answer more thoroughly, he actually mentioned a two other ideas I was going to write about:
The last one would be the most fun, as the PCs have to stay hidden/act in disguise or use stooges. This would culminate in conversion of a hostile sub-district adding it to their house's sphere of influence.
Again, BP and other building mechanics would stay the same. The actual conversion could be roleplayed (e. g. they have built [insert arbitrary number] buildings for X BP, organize some kind of revolt, build barricades, smallish mass battle erupts, they win - done).
This would actually result in a somewhat reverse two-staged kingdom building scheme: first the building, then the establishment of a "kingdom".
what you said
Predatorius - you're welcome! I've been drinking - had a way cool idea...which disintegrated as I read RuyanVe's post...sigh... I shall have to re-think it! ;-p
It will, I think, take a bit of 're-wording' to make your dream come true, but I don't think that in many cases that you have to do anything about 're-writing' the rules. Just re-skin them - favourite DMs trick FOREVER! i.e. you'll be able to run the rules mostly as written purely by describing things differently...simple... :)
I'm off now - need a bit of a lie down...
Sorry, I didn't get to do what I hinted at in my last post - life got in the way.
What I've been thinking about is that maybe I misunderstood your goal: Do you want to re-write the rules, or do you dread having to re-write them?
If the latter is true, than I hope you find some arguments in this thread and elsewhere in these forums which help circumventing the re-write. If it is the former, I think, I've misunderstood your intention...
Ruyan, you're really good at this. Hopefully, Philip, you'll sober up and remember your good idea!
I¨ll try to keep this post as short as possible in order to give a concise answer.
Yes, the setting is a drow metropolis. And as it happens, it's Menzoberranzan. No surprise there, eh? I just, about an hour ago, noticed that WotC have released this week _edition neutral_ Menzoberranzan: City of Intrigue sourcebook.
What I really want to do, is to drop the Kingmaker Kingdom Building rules into the mix. I would like them to make sense in this peculiar environment, game mechanics-wise. In my opinion I have a lot of material to flavour a range of adventures in the Underdark. The issue here is that I would like to simulate/populate in the background all the buildings of Menzoberranzan (don's ask why, I just want to do it). This would give me an idea what kind of what kind of differences there are between the ruling noble houses (in quantity wise, not only quality).
There are several ways to consider the max number of districts/blocks in Menzoberranzan and the surrounding Dark Dominion. I am wondering how many city blocks can I fit into the main cavern of city? The amount which is based on population only gives 246 blocks (as I mentioned earlier), but this feels very low somehow, especially when I have to drop in 60-70 noble houses, which of actually 18 could have other buildings than the actual "manor". If I take the other route, which is by the square miles, I get even lower amount of blocks and districts. As in RAW it says a district is about one square mile and the main cavern is about two square miles, you can see the problem? Of course I've considered the possibility of thinking the city in layers. And in the books it says there is 'buildings' also in the ceiling of the cavern. Where to go with this?
And how about the food supply, the only lake with fungus and deep rothe cattle will not suffice? How that can be portrayed with the current game mechanics (farms, mainly)?
And in the end, I am not dreading re-writing the rules, if it is the only way.
Sounds like a blast. Good luck!
I wouldn't be afraid concerning food supply. I can imagine "farms" in outlying caverns or further away from the actual city proper, controlled by drow and slaves or by their trade partners. Maybe the drow organize raids to obtain food/life stock?
Here's a post in KM #2 RRR looking into city blocks, districts and population which you might get some use out of.
And keep us posted if possible. I can only echo Orthos: your campaign should be a blast!
That's right. I should divide the food supply away from the city proper. Been too focused on the main cavern.
Thanks! I'll now head back to my drawing board.
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Comic-Con Day 3: Walking Dead, Portal Cosplay, and Superman Costumes
- 07.19.13
Ben Peterson and JJ Peterson, brothers, have the line for Hall H tomorrow totally won. Waiting to see Hunger Games and Marvel. They're at least half a mile from the door.
At the Geek & Sundry party, the dancing is in full swing — but there's one famous wallflower who seems to wish he were someplace else. Home, perhaps.
"In my day, we had to walk four miles in the snow to get transgender surgery, and we were grateful for it!"
— This quote really works best when you don't have any context. It's from Joss Whedon, so maybe that's all you need to know.
"Anyone can be called "plucky", but it works better when they're an orphan."
— Overheard at SDCC
Cutest Ewok EVER
I know he's dressed in Amish garb to promote Banshee but this is still amusing.
"Never in my life have I thought that I would look at a guy in cosplay and say 'Yeah - I'd hit that.'"
— OH from a girl at Comic-Con
Joss Whedon's response to the question "If you could describe Avengers 2 in one word, what would it be?"
He then elaborated that the real answer was "Red," referring to the costume change at the end of Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog when Horrible changed from a white costume to a red one after turning appropriately evil (Too much of a deep cut?).
"I'm not exhausted. Why would you bring that up? That's just rude."
— Joss Whedon's first words during his solo panel in Ballroom 20. To be fair, he does look very tired, and is clutching his Starbucks coffee closely. He then apologized in case he became incoherent or just fell asleep during the panel.
"Thank you, San Diego. Well, great. Great to be here. What a welcome. Please, that's…wow, thank you. Please. All right. Oh my gosh, thank you. If I could just…all right. Thank you. Really—maybe a little more, go ahead. What a crowd, what a crowd. Just the people on the left. Now the people on the right. Now just the ladies. Okay, now just THAT lady. You. Very nice!
We gotta keep it moving folks, all right. Jesus Christ. Okay, folks, please, I really need to get through this. Hey-o! All right. Got it. People, please! What the shit! Are the fuckin' Beatles behind me? Stop! [Whistles] SHUT THE HELL UP. All right, fine, I'll just stand here and wait while you people scream yourselves hoarse. Go ahead.
— Sterling Mallory Archer, waiting out the applause via video message, at the Archer panel
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Actor Dean Haglund (Langly) confirms the resurrection of the Lone Gunmen in IDW's X-Files Season 10 comic. "Well, you never actually saw their bodies…"
"We can't stop here, this is Batman country!"
Felicia Day (The Guild) signs at the Dark Horse Comics booth. In the last several years, Day has added comics and game writing to her already impressive resume.
There was big Walking Dead news at AMC's shows panel at Comic-Con International today, namely the premiere date of Season 4: October 18th. Much like last season, the episodes will be also aired in two segments, with the second segment airing in February 2014.
Even better, AMC gave attendees — and now you — a four-and-a-half minute preview of the upcoming season, the first footage so far. It's exactly the sort of tense, exciting tease you'd expect from the show, as the group copes with life in the person, and threats both beyond their walls and within them.
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Meet the Craig family. San Diego native Aidan (left) rocked Comic-Con with his Dad and Mom (Sam and Jamie) all day.
Of course, even the signage for Comic-Con is themed and branded. This year, Bates Motel seeks to split everyone into Normas and Normans. The A&E show is all over town; I've seen at least two separate neon signs announcing Bates Motel vacancies on streets near the convention center.
There is some creepy stuff at Comic-Con.
Khal Drogo Rises
#Jason Momoa, aka the dearly departed Khal Drogo, just made a surprising drive-by appearance on the Game of Thrones panel. The actor came out of nowhere, kissed Emilia Clarke (Daenerys) and then disappeared just as quickly, thrilling fans of their onscreen romance. Her response: "My sun and stars!"
When you watch The World's End, you won't just be getting the third collaboration between director Edgar Wright and comedians Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, you'll also have the concluding part of what's become known as "The Cornetto Trilogy," after the ice cream snacks that make appearances in all three movies — and something that has far more to offer the viewer than cheap laughs.
According to director Wright, each movie in the trilogy is "all about taking responsibility, they're all about the individual versus the collective, and they're all about the dangers of perpetual adolescence," with each installment taking a different tack towards the subject. Shawn of The Dead was about evolution, Hot Fuzz about devolution, and World's End is about revolution, in a way, according to Pegg ("I was feeling pretentious that day," he joked when talking about the creation of that description).
On the face of it, The World's End is a perfect science fiction idea: Five old school friends meet up twenty years later in their old hometown, only to discover that something strange has happened to everyone they left behind. Wright said that the movie was inspired by the science fiction he grew up with, from John Wyndham novels to The Prisoner and Doctor Who — "They were always on TV, it's literally in my DNA," he explained — but that, even so, the science fiction is there to serve the emotional reality inside the story.
"Rather than doing a film about 'Hey, let's have a bunch of guys reunite to go on a pub crawl' and then we picked sci-fi out of a hat, it came from when I used to go back to my hometown," he said. "When I left home to go to London, I would go back every year and I would feel like it was slowly changing. I remember saying, 'It just feels like Bodysnatchers when I go back.' And that's the movie."
Pegg said that the unofficial Cornetto Trilogy has used "genre as a Trojan horse to get in a little relationship comedy," and underscored the need for something more than a bunch of funny jokes if a comedy is really going to work. "Comedies which exist purely on their own jokes kind of run out of steam midway through, or if a joke fails, the whole thing falls apart because what else is there?" he asked."If you hang the comedy on something real, real stories, real issues, a structure, real characters, then you can stop the jokes sometime and just let the story be what it is."
Despite commenting on the false idea of comedy and drama being entirely separate things — "You're underestimated for doing comedy, people think it's easy. There's no Oscar for best comedian. It's not really taken seriously because, by its very nature, it's non serious. So, you know, your ego starts to think, 'Well, I want to be taken seriously, I'll do a drama.'" — Pegg admitted that he enjoyed playing the over-the-top Gary King in The World's End.
"I wanted to be the funny one this time. I've spent six years giving Nick Frost the funny lines," he joked, before saying that Gary is "the Tasmanian Devil, he's like Beetlejuice. But if he stops for a second, there's something deeply affecting and sad about him." The character is almost unlikeable, he said, because "at the heart of him is a desperate tragedy, and sometimes we can get sick of people in our life because they're behaving in a particular way, but sometimes they have deeper needs that you don't understand."
Having conquered the comic tragedy with The World's End, then, what's next for Pegg, Wright and Frost? This new movie may be the last part of a trilogy, but is it their last collaboration? Of course not, Pegg said. "These films are set with a certain criteria, the next film won't have to [be]… We wanted to nail these three as a series of films you could watch together with some connective tissue, we'll go out of our way to not relate to these films next time, so they remain a trilogy."
The World's End opens in the U.S. August 23. Photo courtesy Focus Features.
In Memoriam at the Game of Thrones Panel
#The Game of Thrones panel just opened with a video supercut of deaths from the show playing over with Boyz II Men's "Hard to Say Goodbye." The video closed on the text "The North Remembers." It was… surprisingly emotional.
Last year the train stop signs were in Klingon, I think. This year: Dothraki.
Chopper the biker dog loves the ladies. He snuck author Carrie Goldman a kiss even while her husband was watching.
"I didn't like being dead, but I really loved my death. I never thought anything could top that, then I met Lola."
— Clark Gregg (aka Agent Coulson) on coming back for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (P.S. Lola - Agent Coulson's Corvette - flies in the pilot. We just thought you should know that.)
One of the most deliriously ridiculous books of comics on the floor this year is Lisa Hanawalt's "My Dirty Dumb Eyes," published by Montreal's indie art-book house Drawn & Quarterly. Hanawalt, 30, inks up fantastical visions of whatever whimsical or deranged notion comes into her head, often prompted by situations she experiences or pop culture she consumes; above is a panel from a section called "Sex Fantasies Inspired by Movies." Also arresting is her illustrated review of the film "Drive," which includes a drawing of Ryan Gosling with 246 toothpicks stuck in his mouth at once.
"If you wanna die, yeah."
— Simon Pegg on whether or not The World's End could be turned into a drinking game by fans.
There is something particularly reassuring to see everyone just know to move out of the way when Metallica is walking down the corridor towards you.
Eventually, old age comes for even the most enduring of superheroes.
How to cause a stir in the press room at Comic-Con: Bring in the President of the United States for an interview.
In this case, it was actually a professional Fauxbama — Reggie Brown — talking about Battlepillars, a new online game available at supportbattlepillars.com.
For a minute, though, everyone in here was convinced and very, very confused.
FYI, Cobie Smulders is picking up where she left off in The Avengers, and will be playing Maria Hill in the first episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (!!!)
Photo courtesy Marvel Studios
"We wanted to bring a clip but there was a legal [thing]. … So we can't show you a clip – we're just going to show you the episode."
— Joss Whedon, who just made everyone's Con during the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. panel.
"Comics were an utterly disposable medium when I started. I did Sandman in a world where if you wanted to read a comic that had come out, you rummaged in the back issue bins and you had to hope it wasn't something anyone actually liked… Now we live in a world of graphic novels, where storylines get collected and in a world of digital. It's all there and it's all available."
-Neil Gaiman talking to Wired about making Sandman, as he prepares to release the prequel Sandman: Overture for the 25th anniversary of the comic
"I had mixed emotions when I found out JJ was doing Star Wars. My first thought was, 'Oh no, Dad's had another baby.' We're not the cute kid anymore, he's going to be playing with the baby now. And secondly, it was like, 'Jeez, it's gonna be GOOD. I'm going to have to like it again.' I've just gotten used to being okay with hating Star Wars, and now it's, 'Oh, NO, I'm gonna like it again."
— Simon Pegg (Star Trek's Scotty) on his reaction to finding out that JJ Abrams would be directing Star Wars Episode VII.
"I'm happy to announce that X-Files 3 is coming! Next month. In comics form."
— IDW Editor Chris Ryall, toying with the emotions of several hundred fans.
"You and me—like Batman and Robin." - Kick-Ass
"Alright, Robin wishes he was me." - Hit-Girl
Check out the awesome new NSFW Kick-Ass 2 trailer that just debuted at Comic-Con. Holy. Crap. This looks like fun.
"There's a little girl in there that lost her dad. … She's masking it by bringing justice to the world."
— Chloe Grace Moretz via satellite during the Kick-Ass 2 panel talking about Hit-Girl.
Wired Senior Editor Peter Rubin and Special Correspondent Cara Santa Maria recap the jam packed first day of San Diego Comic Con. Featuring the giant Wired Robot, Terry Gilliam's Zero Theorem, Bill Paxton "the only guy who has been killed by the Terminator, a Predator and an Alien," Kit Harrington of Game of Thrones and legendary rock star Slash.
"I'm wearing, like, a gimp outfit in this movie."
— Christopher Mintz-Plasse on his Mother Fucker costume in Kick-Ass 2.
"I can tell you that it sort of has a Godfather III theme to it. Which seems odd like 'Why not pick Godfather II it was a better movie?'"
— Veronica Mars director Rob Thomas on what fans can expect from the movie version.
Even Star Trek Playboy Bunnies have to do paperwork at Comic-Con.
It's surprising how mean a giant inflatable Robin can seem, making fun of a giant, inflatable Raven, really.
Wandering around outside Comic-Con: A crew from SpaceX, with a replica of one of their craft, promoting their Occupy Mars agenda and trying to take photos with Iron Man cosplayers. Who better to try and sell space exploration to the people?
"I like to get you really invested in characters before I kill them."
— Louise Simonson, on the "Art of the Cliffhanger" panel.
"My first line back was: 'Charming drink names – I can't decide between a Beast with Two Backs or a Donkey Punch. Oh! Do you think they'd let me order a virgin De-Virginator?'"
— Kristen Bell on returning to Veronica Mars thanks to the Kickstarter-backed movie version of the fan-favorite TV show.
"It's important. I actually started to write Divergent four years before and I wrote it with a male lead. It wasn't interesting to me, I gave it up. When I wrote it from Tris's perspective, everything came together because there was something interesting to me about a young woman choosing to leave a stifling environment and going to do risky, brave, dangerous things in a way that we expect a young man to do based on stereotypes."
~ Veronica Roth, the author of Divergent, speaking to Wired about the rise of female protagonists.
Photo: Alex Washburn/Wired
It's always nice to see the younger generations becoming connoisseurs of the finer things in life.
"We just like to teach you Americans some new swear words."
— Edgar Wright responding to the question of whether or not the Cornetto Trilogy - Shawn of The Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World's End - were too British for American audiences.
"Oh my god is that a wookie? Oh my god. OH MY GOD!"
— Over heard as guy spots a 7ft. Chewbacca
"Pegg: We have a script, we bring it in and Nick sprinkles his fairy dust on it.
Frost: It's actually dandruff."
— Nick Frost and Simon Pegg on how the script for The World's End came together.
Watch Harrison Ford answer the question, "If Han Solo and Indiana Jones were to meet what would be their first words to each other?"at the Ender's Game panel from Thursday.
"Pegg: Sometimes you forget breaking wind isn't funny to everybody.
Frost: Isn't it?
Pegg: I think it has an international appeal."
— Simon Pegg and Nick Frost discuss the differences between making films with Edgar Wright and making films with other directors, during the World's End panel.
"If you've ever watched Doctor Who and thought it would be funnier if the Doctor was really hammered, then this would be the movie for you. Let's just retitle it 'Doctor Hooch.'"
— Director Edgar Wright on the similarities between Doctor Who and his new movie, The World's End, at the movie's panel in Hall H.
Ender's Game Brings the Same-Sex Marriage Debate to Comic-Con
#The upcoming sci-fi film Ender's Game has stoked controversy online — and even a proposed boycott — because of the openly homophobic views of Orson Scott Card, who wrote the original novel. Wired spoke to film's producer, Roberto Orci, and director Gavin Hood (left and right above) to get their take on the issue.
"For me the great themes of the book were, 'Boy, I need to take responsibility for my own nature. I better find a way to be tolerant, compassionate, empathetic, and empathize with people who are different than me," said Hood. "Then I find the author is now expressing these very, in my view, intolerant views—where did all of that empathy go?"
For those who like the idea of Comic-Con, but not the overwhelming scale, Felicia Day is hosting a spin-off event just up the road. It's a place where fans can play board games, hang out with Day and other stars from her Geek and Sundry YouTube channel, or generally just hide from the 100,000+ other people still in the convention center. Pretty much a safe place, in a convention of safe places, in other words.
Clearly, Elysium understands how Comic-Con attendees actually feel.
The intersection of two trends we've seen explode in the last few years: vinyl art toys, and publishers and IP owners broadening their images by embracing spinoff and tribute works from independent artists. Popcap's booth diaplays clusters of one-of-a-kind artist-designed Plants vs. Zombies Munny figures—some clearly based on zombies from the game; others, subtler homage.
"The tweets were coming so fast I literally couldn't scroll quickly enough on my iPad to keep up."
— Craig Engler, who runs Syfy Channel's twitter account, on what happened the night Sharknado aired.
People You See
#I just walked past Brent Spiner and Michael Dorn—that's Data and Worf from Star Trek—having coffee. So I would like to say: Squee.
"I don't think Han Solo would be good as a soldier in anybody's army. He's what we call now and 'independent contractor.'"
— Harrison Ford, when asked during the Ender's Game panel if Han Solo would be a good recruit for Col. Graff.
DC has half a dozen versions of Superman's costume on display, from the Christopher Reeve classic above to the modern Man of Steel. It's a fascinating exhibit, especially for a costuming and/or superhero-semiotics nerd—even if there's something a little sad about watching the color leech away a little more with each iteration.
Still, the real* crowd-pleaser had to be this outfit (right) worn by Henry Cavill in Man of Steel. Never mind flying, seeing this outfit in person truly made you believe that a man could dress sensibly for chilly weather.
(*May not actually be true.)
Despite the crowds and the heat, San Diego still looks pretty good. At least, it does from up here.
This Portal costume was not only pretty great (the Portal gun! So jealous!), but required a good amount of coordination to negotiate the crowds. Bravo.
The Walking Dead 10th Anniversary Panel
#There wasn't much in the way of news at The Walking Dead 10th anniversary panel at Comic-Con – unless you weren't caught up with for the comic book series — although there was plenty of banter with creator and writer Robert Kirkman, who spent most of the panel taking questions from fans. Much like the panel itself, spoilers follow.
After discussing the upcoming "All Out War" storyline and full-color edition of The Walking Dead #1, Kirkman spent the majority of the panel taking questions from the crowd. Several fans asked about the differences between the comic book, television and video games versions of the show, and whether there would be more crossover between them.
"I like that there are certain things you can only get from certain media," said Kirkman. "I think it's cool that there's something special and unique to each one of them… The show doesn't spoil the comic, and the comic doesn't spoil the show."
Kirkman also said that he not only approves of the changes to the storyline on the small screen, but actually appreciates the chance to improve storytelling choices with the help of the writing staff. "I'll [hear a new idea] in the writer's room, and think, 'That's a great idea. Dammit! Why didn't I think of that?'" laughed Kirkman.
Still, true to its roots, the affections of the Comic-Con crowd were still solidly center on the print incarnation of the series.When a young woman questioned whether it was better for a new fan to experience The Walking Dead as the watching the show or reading the comic book first, the crowd answered by chanting "READING! READING!"
Kirkman also discussed some of the the unanticipated changes that took place while plotting the series, including the death of the character Abraham, who originally escaped the situation that killed him unscathed.
"Then I started plotting the [next] issue and I was like, this is bullshit! There's no way they would get out of this," said Kirkman. "I had a lot of plans for him, and now I can't do them… But people don't often die at times when it is convenient. It wrecks things."


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No doubt it pays to get an education… but too often it comes with decades of student loan payments. On this edition "Virginia Conversations" – dealing with student debt… how to avoid it and how to dig out of the financial hole. Host May-Lily Lee talks with Tom Kramer with Virginia 21 and Dr. Barry Simmons, Director of Financial Aid at Virginia Tech.
Virginia Conversations: Graduating in the Black
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From NPR News
- Don't You Dare Call Me A Hipster! I, Sir, Am A 'Hep Cat' December 8, 2013Jive-talking, jazz-loving "hep cats" from the 1930s and 1940s are the great-grandparents of today's hipsters. The interest of white fans in black music helped fill Harlem's nightclubs and prompted derision. Hipsters were criticized for being the equivalent of a "pretentious poet laureate."
- Lawmaker Says Snowden May Testify Before EU Parliament December 8, 2013Another lawmaker had previously asked Edward Snowden to testify before the German Parliament, but Snowden declined, saying he would happily do so, but he first wanted to testify before the U.S. Congress.
- Report Details ATF's Use Of Mentally Disabled In Gun Stings December 8, 2013The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel found that agents recruited mentally disabled men, made them a central part of stings and then charged them for crimes committed during the operations.
- Is Mining On The Moon's Horizon? December 8, 2013Las Vegas-based Moon Express just unveiled the design for a small robot spacecraft about the size of a coffee table that it says could move about the moon's surface powered only by solar panels and hydrogen peroxide.
- Debate On Wage And Wealth Gap Heats Up; Solutions Elusive December 8, 2013Fast-food workers across the country protested their low pay this week, while President Obama decried the nation's growing wealth gap, calling it "the defining challenge of our time." Meanwhile, the nation's capital city passed a new minimum wage law.
- Don't You Dare Call Me A Hipster! I, Sir, Am A 'Hep Cat' December 8, 2013
From BBC News
- Many world leaders to mourn Mandela December 8, 2013Some 60 heads of state and government are to attend the memorial service or state funeral of Nelson Mandela, South Africa announces.
- Six held over football fixing claims December 8, 2013Six people are in police custody after ex-Portsmouth player Sam Sodje told an undercover reporter he had been involved in fixing games.
- Huge pro-EU rally grips Ukraine December 8, 2013Protesters in the Ukrainian capital Kiev topple a statue of Lenin as they call for closer EU ties and oppose a Russian-led customs union.
- MPs' 11% pay rise 'inappropriate' December 8, 2013Plans to award MPs an 11% pay rise in 2015 are criticised across Westminster, with one minister describing them as "utterly incomprehensible".
- Men freed after 'slavery' raids December 8, 2013Three men, all believed to be victims of slavery, are rescued following a series of raids in the Bristol area.
- Many world leaders to mourn Mandela December 8, 2013


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Does DRM enabled E-book reader mean that it can't read regular PDF files? also, How are the battery life on these things? and Netbook vs E-reader which is better?(cause they cost almost the same)
My dad bought a Kindle and loved it. It is used everyday for the newspaper (newspaper never fails to be delivered like in real life) Also, access the Amazon store is good. On your topic, I was able to read PDFs on it, the battery life is REALLY long. If WIFI is off on it, it lasts a long time.


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Hotel Barceló Fuerteventura Thalasso Spa
This modern hotel comes well-equipped with all you need for a hassle-free beach break. The hotel is just a stone's throw from the sea and a short walk from the resort of Caleta de Fuste.
Winner of the Spanish "Q" award for quality, the hotel itself is up-to-date and designed with enjoyment in mind. Offering two lagoon-like pools and an outdoor whirlpool bath, it's easy to take 'busy doing nothing' to the next level here. Plus, there's a separate children's pool if you've got little ones in tow.
And then there's the luxury Thalasso Centre just near to the hotel. This oasis of well-being comes complete with a sauna. And with all the treatments on offer, it won't just be the sun that's making your skin glow.
Accommodation-wise, expect large, airy bedrooms with private balconies and huge beds. Décor-wise the rooms are as you'd expect – clean lines, wooden furniture, and a fresh, neutral colour scheme. And extras, like satellite TVs and hairdryers, come as standard.
As for dining, the restaurant serves up a wide variety of buffet food. Come breakfast time, whether you fancy a Continental spread or a full English, it's all there for the taking.
Last but not least, the entertainment programme has earned itself a great reputation. Think stage shows with a distinctive West-End flavour and a mini-disco just for the kids.
TripAdvisor rating
Based on 2557 reviews
- Official Rating
- 4Floors
- 462Rooms
- 7Lifts
Only from Thomson
- Exclusive to Thomson in the UK
- A range of hotels from 2T to 5T
Food & Drink
Dining options | Breakfast | Lunch | Evening meal | Drinks | Snacks, Icecream |
All Inclusive | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner. Local alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks 10.00-23.00. Cakes and ice-cream 11.00-17.00. |
Half Board | ✔ | ✔ | |||
Buffet breakfast and dinner. |
Facilities► View all
Barcelo Thalasso Spa Centre*
You'll find the spa 200 metres away from the hotel offering a range of beauty treatments. You can choose from a variety of massages, body wraps, facials, manicures and pedicures. Plus there's a whirlpool bath, sauna, Turkish bath and indoor and outdoor pools with cervical jets and hydro-massage jets. If you're staying at the hotel you'll receive a discount on treatments.
Outdoor pool
Heated in winter. This pool comes with sunbeds and a roomy sun terrace.
For ages 4 to 12 years.
Rooms ► View all
superior double room
Superior double room sleeps up to 4, with a king-size or 2 twin beds. This room comes with a raindance shower, 32-inch plasma TV, bathrobes and slippers, pillow menu, internet and unlimited access per adult to the Thalasso Spa. Minibar at a charge. Cots are available.
twin room
Twin room sleeps up to 4, with a double or twin beds, 3rd bed is a sofa-bed. This room comes with satellite TV with Eurosport and BBC news. Cots are available.
TripAdvisor Reviews Show more reviews »
Best hotel in the resort
Stayed here with my wife for a week towards the end of November.We had a deluxe room on the ground floor overlooking the tennis courts.One advantage of it was that it had great morning sun which could be enjoyed on the privacy of the balcony until around noon at which time we would head to the pool area.The room was very spacious with fridge,tv,couch, tea/coffee facilities and superb twin beds.It was a very quiet room which made for an excellent sleep.The bathroom looked slightly tired but had all the necessary facilities including a really efficient shower. There is the ususal large main restaurant for breakfast and dinner.We found it difficult to fault with the good range of food on offer .There is a pool snack bar which we visited when we first arrived but found this a little expensive and with the town only a few minutes walk away it was nice to take a stroll and sample the eateries there.We can recommend the Rock Cafe which had good food at reasonable prices and in the evening there is live music which we found to be very good. We tended to use the main reception bar in the hotel for pre dinner cocktails which are well made and in keeping with prices in the area.In the evening there is a bar and performance area near to the main restaurant where the entertainment takes place.We visited this on several occasions when live music was on and found all of the acts to be very professional - look out for Two Men who are superb . Another nice feature is that there are plenty of sunbeds around the 3 pools which are on offer.The area is cordoned off until 9am so there is no early bagging and we found it easy to get a bed.The pools themselves where pretty cold so we didn't brave them but quite a few people did.There is a well equipped gym and a spa . All of the grounds and the hotel itself are kept pretty spotless and there was no sign of any bugs etc.The weather was very good throughout our stay.So were there any down points ? - only a couple : - On booking with Travel Republic we had requested a top floor room overlooking the pool area ( a recommendation from tripadvisor reviews ) but we ended up in a ground floor room at the rear of the hotel.We spoke with Suzanne on reception who advised that Travel Republic had not passed on our request but she did her best to move us and found another room on the second floor however on viewing it we found this to be smaller than a deluxe so we stayed put.I have to say she was the most helpful receptionist i have ever dealt with and most of the staff are pretty much like this. There was some repair work being done to the marble floors adjoining the reception bar throughout our stay which was slighty annoying - would have been better done overnight. For some reason food at breakfast seemed to go cool by the time it go to the table - not sure why because the range was always steaming ! So would we stay here again ?.Most definately.It is a solid 4 star hotel and from what we saw probably the best in the resort.More
whippet1409, egypt
Excellent break
As one who uses Trip Adviser reviews when planning a holiday I try to give a fair and honest assessment. As the title suggests this was an excellent holiday. Flights from UK are all scheduled to arrive at approx. the same time so coaches wait at airport till they are full, this can lead to an extended wait. As previous reviewers have suggested, take a taxi, only 10 minutes and cost 12 euros, well worth it! On arrival we were informed our room wasn't ready, but were fitted with our 'All Inclusive' bands and instructed to go for lunch have a drink and return at 3 o'clock. On return the queue at reception was quite long but staff were pleasant and efficient so queue quickly dealt with. We were allocated a room in block 2 with excellent sea and pool views. Room was one of the best we have been in, spacious and spotlessly clean. Like the idea of shower and toilet in separate area from wash basin and mirrors. No need to wipe down mirrors after showers...... I have read previous reviewers upgrading to Superior room but apart from free wifi I can't see much reason for this. I don't go on holiday for wifi, anyway there are plenty bars and cafes near by with free wifi if that is your thing. The restaurant was usual buffet style all the food excellent and plentiful. The breakfast was first class with wide selection of fresh fruit and cereals, the cook to order omelettes and eggs especially good. At dinner the grill selection was very popular and some queues did occur but the food normally worth the short wait. Waiters were very efficient at clearing tables and never had any problem finding a table at any time. The entertainment was usual fix of live shows and 'mimed' animation team versions of shows and musicals. Live shows were of high standard but mime shows were passable for an hour or so. Don't think Les Mis is exactly fun filled holiday entertainment, but that's a personal opinion. The bar staff very friendly and helpful. Never saw any example of half board guests getting preference over AI guests. Check the bar menu on the tables in the bar, some 'branded' drinks i.e. Smirnoff are available on All Inclusive. Only discovered this on last night, probably just as well..... Pool area very nice, ample sun loungers and never a problem finding one, yes some are reserved early but at the time we went don't think there was any need for this. Never ventured in the pool, as previous reviewers have stated it seemed to be very cold judging from expression of those who did try it. Hotel spotlessly clean throughout, garden and pool area well maintained. Would we stay here again? would we recommend to friends? Yes and Yes!More
Fifersdownsouth, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Perfect Relaxing Holiday
This was our second stay at the Barcelo; the first was the same time last year. We stayed in a superior room in block 3, I think all superior rooms are in 3. As far as I know all the rooms are the same size; it's the package that comes with a superior room which sets it aside. Superior room includes, free wifi, bathrobes and slippers, entry to the Thalasso spa, pool towels etc. For those who don't want to read a long review here are the main points. Reception staff excellent, check in quick. Rooms have everything you cold want; great beds, nice balcony, great bath and shower, mini fridge, safe (extra charge 3 euro per day) and flat screen telly with English channels. Rooms cleaned daily, towels changed daily. Food, excellent, hard to find fault. Bar; great drinks, friendly staff, almost no waiting. Plenty of sun loungers by the pools. Pools very cold. Shops and supermarket 2 minute walk away. Overall excellent, highly recommended. Here are the details: Check in was completed in just a couple of minutes and as we arrived around 7pm it was a quick unpack and off to the bar for a pre dinner snifter. The bar is great, well staffed with normally 4 or 5 cheery bar staff and a great choice of drinks. Even when the bar was full around evening entertainment time the longest I waited for a drink was about a minute, much less than a city bar in Glasgow. We went all inclusive and there was plenty to pick from the drinks menu, there were some premium name drinks that could be ordered for a small supplement but we didn't find that necessary. I drink whisky and they had J&B, Johnnie Walker Red and Ballantines all on the AI list. My wife tried the cocktails and liked them and the local version of Baileys, which she said, was almost like the real thing. If you don't want to wait at the bar take a seat other staff will come and take your drink order. The restaurant was excellent. It's a big busy hotel but we never had to wait for a table. Dress is very relaxed for breakfast and lunch but men are expected to wear long trousers for dinner. The food is by far the best we've experienced on all-inclusive. Breakfast is a selection of yoghurts and cereals and all you need for the full fry up with a choice of eggs, boiled, scrambled, fried and omelettes cooked to order. Alternatively there are the makings of a continental breakfast with cheese, cold sliced meats, salad, pastries, jams and fruit. There is a massive selection of bread and rolls. Waiters will bring pots of tea or coffee to the table. There is a choice of about 5 different freshly squeezed fruit juices. Lunch and dinner were both great. There is a chef frying fresh meat and fish, the meat in the week we were there was mainly chicken, pork and veal. There was always a roast being carved and pizzas being baked fresh. Apart from the fried meat there was always a large paella type rice dish and a few casseroles such as goat or rabbit and normally some kind of bean stew. There are always Canarian potatoes with ali oli, chips, mash and a good selection of vegetables. If you fancy something lighter there is always a massive selection of salad and pickles with cold meat, cheese and a fish. Hot and cold soup was on offer at each meal, the gazpachio was lovely on a hot day. There's also a huge selection of pastries, cakes and puddings. They have a small 'kiddies corner' which has things like mini burgers, fish fingers and chicken nuggets. At lunch and dinner waiters will come for your drink order, there is a wine, beer and soft drinks included in the AI. You would have to be ridiculously picky not to find something nice at each meal. There are two large pools, both salt water; the one closer to reception is slightly warmer but still quite cold the other pool is absolutely freezing. I only saw about half a dozen people risk it during our week stay. I swam and did water aerobics in the warmer pool and once in it was fine. This pool also has a large Jacuzzi. There are plenty of sun loungers by the pools but annoyingly and despite the hotel notices people still 'claim' a bed with towels before breakfast, it is my only complaint that the hotel do not enforce the no reserving rule. But that said we never had any trouble finding a bed. There is a poolside bar in which you can sit with a drink or order a meal (drinks AI, meals not) and there is an AI snack bar to the side of the main bar, which opens at 10am and has buffet food from 11am to 6 pm. In this side bar you can help yourself to sparkling wine, beer, coke fanta etc or tea and coffee. The food is normally a hot pasta dish, burgers, hot dogs, the making of toasties, cold cuts and cheese and a salad selection. There is also ice cream in mini tubs. This was one of our favourite areas as it meant you didn't have to take all kinds of drinks down to the poolside. The Thalasso spa was very good, nice and relaxing and the gym is small but well equipped. If you are in a superior room the spa is included if not I think it's 20 euro per visit. They provide towels, flip flop and secure lockers. There was a nightly entertainment, which started with a small kids disco at about 8pm. The main shows were an hour long and started at 9 or 9.30. The nights alternated between outside act and the hotels 'animation team' doing a dance and mime act to Les Mis, Grease etc. There is a theatre area next to the bar (waiters will bring you drinks to save you missing the show) but we just sat in the bar and saw some acts from there. We saw an African acrobatic troop and a Chinese circus act. The entertainment was fine, probably a bit better than most of this type of thing. There is an 18 hole mini golf just outside the hotel, which costs 5 euros and is quite good fun. If you' rather sit on the beach it's only 10 yards from the back of the hotel. You can hire a pair of loungers and a sun brolly for 11 euros a day. The hotel is very central with a shopping area and supermarket 2 minutes walk away if you want to stock up on drinks and snacks. Go out of the hotel, turn left and then first left, the supermarket if 50 yards down in a road on the right. There is also 2 perfume shops, a selection of bard and restaurants, a few tourist tat shops and a kiosk that sells newspapers and duty free fags and tobacco. If you fancy going to the local market (it's quite good) it's on every Saturday and Tuesday from 9 am. Go out the front of the hotel and turn left, stroll for about 10 minute and you'll come to it. If walking is a problem there is a 'train' but which comes by, it stops at the corner by the fag kiosk about 50 yards from the hotel and costs 1.50 euros each way. This hotel has very quickly become one of our favourites I think we'll be going back next November. We highly recommend it.More
glasgowcouple1, Glasgow
Relaxing Break
We booked this hotel for a relaxing comfortable winter sunshine break in mid November and that is exactly what we got. Our room was both comfortable and quiet, well maintained and importantly clean. In fact the whole hotel was very clean and the staffed were all very friendly and helpful. The buffet restaurant was well staffed which is not always the case in hotels with buffet dining rooms, the food was varied and plentiful even when taking a late dinner, hot breakfast was cooked fresh and for dinner there was always a freshly cooked fish or grilled meat option. Plenty of room round the pools but the water was cold so they were not heavily used. Our only negative and this is one that can be easily addressed by the hotel is the need to refurbish the surface surrounding the pools, over time the top surface has been warn away exposing the rough aggregate base which is sharp on the feet, not enough to cause a direct injury but if a child or adult was to fall it could result in nasty cuts and grazes. Overall a very good hotel for a relaxing break.More
bakerhalfdozen, London, United Kingdom
Relaxing holiday
Holidayed here from the 16th-30th November. Booked a superior room and was in block 3 with a partial sea view. Found the wifi to be really good throughout the complex. The food was the usual all inclusive food. The animation team work hard during the day to provide activities such as archery, rifle shooting, aqua gym, yoga and min golf. The evening entertainment is as others have said mimed and average. The selection of drinks is good , better than some all inclusive hotels we have stayed in before. We never had any problem getting a sun bed but would say it was definitely off peak and the weather wasn't brilliant every day. The pool was freezing and I only braved it twice in 2 weeks. The hotel is in a great position for the resort with a number of bars and shops close by. Would definitely recommend this hotel, the only thing that put a dampener on the holiday was the flight going home which has to be the worst turbulence I have ever experienced, which cannot be helped but definitely will stop me flying to the canaries again. We went on 2 trips with Thomson/ first choice to Correlgio and Jandia, both places worth a visit. Would definitely recommend a taxi from the airport if travelling on a Saturday! Never had any problems with staff most friendly apart from out last day when we were leaving and there was a young woman on her own in the main bar who definitely did not want to be there she was rude and slamming things around the bar! Very strange! Overall a good holiday.More
holiday_addict40, England
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Pioneer Car Radio AVH 2450BT Review
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Are you planning for a car radio off late? Well, an auto radio is surely one of your besties while you are driving across the streets all alone and some nice tracks on the way are perfect to ensure a jolly ride. Car radios are also much needed when you are out on long car trips with the family- the energetic voice of the jockey and the musical ambience inside breaks the monotony of a prolonged journey. Now, there are a good lot of car radios in the market but if you are looking for suggestions the Pioneer AVH 2450BT can be the ideal choice for you. The article here presents a short review on the highly popular Pioneer release.
The AVH 2450BT has been widely acclaimed in the market both by the experts and the users. The new Pioneer model assures a stellar audio performance compounded by superb aesthetic quality. It's an highly improved state of the art AVH receiver which has been incorporated with customized facilities to match up with the unique demands of users. You will be getting an in-dash dual DIN DVD AV Multimedia receiver that features a 5.8" widescreen. A Touch Display facility has been added on with the receiver as well.
Then, the Pioneer AVH 2450BT comes with a cutting edge Bluetooth provision. The Bluetooth facility allows hands-free calling ensuring secured driving as well as wirefree audio streaming or control. Microphone is included within the radio package. Besides, you are getting a multi-language display. The advanced facility covers not only the Menu option yet the ID3 tag-text too in diverse languages. Another vital feature of the new Pioneer auto radio is its Auto EQ ability. The radio is designed to fine tune automatically all the frequency bandwidths & rear and front speakers.
Moreover, the car radio allows you to adjust the frequency phase & acoustic characteristics up till 15 steps. The adjustment is much needed as it results in a focused and clearer soundstage. LED Backlight display is another major characteristic feature of the Pioneer released AVH 2450BT car radio.
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Can Lowering Springs Affect A Cars Handling
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If you are a car owner then you must be aware of the term 'car handling'. Handling basically means how your car responds to turns. Better handling will allow your car to go around turns and corners swiftly. Plus whenever you take a sudden turn, your car will not lose control. Car handling specially depends on the suspension system of your car. A car's suspension includes car parts which fix the wheels of the car to the main body of the car and allows the wheel to move conveniently. However, a car's suspension also depends on things like the car's weight, tires and steering.
In order to improve your cars handling, you must utilize lowering springs. Once you install the lowering springs in your car, the car's centre of gravity will be reduced. This in turn means that the steering response and handling of your car will be enhanced tremendously. Lowering springs also gives enigma and great style to your car. Along with that, fuel consumption levels are also lowered to a considerable extent. The car rides generally turn out to be more comfortable when lowering springs are installed because your car will respond more predictably and crisply to any of your inputs. If you want to get rid of the unnecessary body roll of your car then you should make it a point to install lowering springs.
A special material is utilized to make lowering springs and this material deflects less. Although the lowering springs are harder in comparison to stock springs, it gives you the opportunity of experiencing smooth car rides because it absorbs vibration and shocks effectively. Since the height of your car is lowered due to the installation of lowering springs, you are able to ride the car at higher speeds while maintaining the overall stability of your car. Therefore, you can very well understand that how the lowering springs will help you avoid accidents when you have to take a sudden turn or stop your car unexpectedly.
Always remember to purchase lowering springs which have a top-notch quality and are manufactured by some well-known company. Get the lowering springs installed by a professional only.
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Customized Rims – Latest Tips And Guides
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Are you on a plan for customized rims for your treasured wheels? Well, custom rims are getting really popular among many car owners given the increasing aspirations of a unique touch to stand out in the crowd. There are a wide variety of customized rims available in the market today but not everything out there would be adaptable for you. There are a variety of factors to consider before you go out to purchase your custom rims.
First of all, it must be mentioned that there are two sorts of custom rims available in the present market. These are chrome rims and aluminum rims. Chrome rims are the most sought after choice today replacing the aluminum counterparts by a great extent. The very impressive sheen and rust resistant capacities along with better durability have got chrome a better standpoint over aluminum rims in the industry. It's good if you can afford the chrome rims – the only flip side here is the costly price tag associated with chrome rims. If you are looking for cheaper options, aluminum custom rims would be the aptmost for you. Aluminum rims cover a wide gamut of options like Low-pressure cast, gravity cast, spin-cast, semi-solid forged or forged and casted. Of all these, the spin-cast single piece aluminum custom rims are said to be the premium most options.
Apart from the choice of rims there are other factors to check out while you are looking for customized rims. It's important that you consider your vehicle type before you settle down with the rim. Make sure that the rim you are going for will befit the car perfectly as otherwise it's going to be a very disturbing experience.
Then, of course you must take into account the appearance of the chosen custom rim. The rim you are going for should blend well with the specific looks of your car- otherwise you are just going to end up with an awkward and undesirable styling. Finally, you have to research well to find out the most credible buyer for the custom rims.
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Custom Car Covers – An Overview
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Custom car covers are a much needed investment as you purchase a new car. It's needless to remind that your car is certainly one of your most prized possessions and it's only natural that you would try your best to safeguard it from the external hazards. Thus, comes the need for custom car covers. The custom car covers are not mere shields for vehicles extending to a more personalized attention for your steam. The article here is a brief highlighting on the significance of swearing by custom auto covers.
First of all, the custom car covers are meant to support the car with the usual protection facilities rendered by any regular car cover. This implies, that it would be able to guard up the car exterior and interior further from any terrible weather conditions- like hail storm, storm or torrential rain and moisture. Then, it would also serve as a fantastic protection from the harsh UV rays which are otherwise heinous for the car paint. What more, it would also safeguard the vehicle from the accidental scratches or dent that is common if the car is parked uncovered either in public or in your garage.
Custom car covers are excellent theft deterrents since thieves consider these specialized covers risky. It's because some of the custom car covers come with lock facility which makes it really time consuming for the thief to open up and steal the car. Time is crucial for any burglar as he is always on the fear of getting caught.
Most importantly, you must know that the custom car covers are built keeping in mind the specific built, design and layout of the car. This is the point where a custom cover differs from regular covers. When you have a custom cover you are getting a shield covering exactly as per the lines of your vehicle. The precise fitment detail is necessary as loose fitting regular covers cannot offer the needed tight guard. Moreover, the loose covers allow the unwanted entry of moisture within that is hugely damaging for any vehicle.
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The Dirty Truth on aftermarket auto parts
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Do you need to replace your car parts with new one? Well, when it comes to car parts replacement the car owners are usually in a dilemma on whether to opt for the OEM parts or the aftermarket parts. Now, the expensive price tag carried by the OEM parts compel many to go for their inexpensive counterpart aftermarket parts – but does that really save your wallet. According to experts- "NO". Why so? Read out the following post highlighting on the dirty truth on aftermarket car parts.
The first point to note here is that the aftermarket parts can mean a huge dent in your savings. Yes, the apparently cheap price tag might appear as huge savings for you but you cannot ever be sure regarding the longevity of the car part. In many cases car owners opting for the aftermarket car parts ended up with huge expenses on frequent repairs that cost them more than the OEM parts. Actually, with the aftermarket car parts you can never be sure with quality which is never the case with OEM parts. The OEM parts are directly from the vehicle maker and hence you can always be assured a proper fit and performance here.
Then, in most of the cases, the aftermarket car parts hardly carry a warranty. This denotes that in case you end up with a problem in the aftermarket part shortly after installing it you have to fork out extra bucks for its repair. On the other hand, the OEM parts come along with a proper warranty assurance where you won't have to shell out any extra penny in case you find a problem in the part within a brief span of its installation.
Now, it does not depict that all aftermarket car dealers are bad. But as there are so many of them that it takes a heck lot of time to fish out the most credible one from them. Time is a precious thing in today's hectic world where you want everything ASAP and you really can't wait long for a quality research for the right aftermarket parts dealer.


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Location: Charleston, SC | Tickets: 0 | RSVP Tweet
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The Pour House 1977 Maybank Hwy. Charleston, SC 29412
Farm Aid, Livestrong Sporting Park, Kansas City, Kans. John Davisson
August 13, 2011 |
Lollapalooza, Grant Park, Chicago, Ill. Scott Legato / FilmMagic
August 3, 2013 |
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text: Oh cum on Oh cum onBy Brian Ashcraft PO Edit159L Answering Questions About Vibrators Is so Embarrassing Making video games that support them, however, is totally awesome. In 2002, game designer Testuya Mizuguchi made a "trance vibrator" for his synethesia shooter Rez. The trance vibrator even came in a washable "protective glove". Read… 4/28/11 8:20am 4/28/11 8:20am


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Misha Hussain
Dakar-based Misha Hussain is the West Africa Correspondent for the Thomson Reuters Foundation. He reports on humanitarian affairs including conflict, disasters and human rights covering countries from Mauritania to the Democratic Republic of Congo....
At UNHCR, there's nothing to fear but bright ideas
By Misha HussainThe UN refugee agency, long known for its aversion to new and risky ideas, has launched an internal drive for innovative approaches to refugees' problems. Here are a few bright ideas from outside too.
Longer programmes needed for real behaviour change on FGC
By Misha HussainBehavioural change programmes need to be much longer if we want to see a real reduction in female genital cutting, and the short-term goal-orientated approach of some NGOs is at odds with this
16 million risk hunger in Sahel despite good harvest
By Misha Hussain | Tue, 10 Dec 2013 -
Isolation fuels radicalisation in Cameroon's arid north
By Misha Hussain | Fri, 29 Nov 2013 -
New churches harm Liberian fight against HIV-health official
By Misha Hussain | Tue, 26 Nov 2013 -
Senegalese judge frees four women accused of being lesbians
By Misha Hussain | Wed, 20 Nov 2013 -
Nigerian army shoot own refugees at border, Cameroon blamed
By Misha Hussain | Thu, 31 Oct 2013 -
Mauritania tops Global Slavery Index
By Misha Hussain and Laurent Prieur | Thu, 17 Oct 2013 -
Enemies can be reconciled in northern Mali – Oxfam
By Misha Hussain | Fri, 11 Oct 2013
Dirty money flow from developing world up 14 pct in 2011
Russia's Putin touts customs union to Ukraine
Cancer deaths rise to 8.2 million, breast cancer sharply up
Nigeria largely ignores sectarian violence - Human Rights Watch
UK's Co-op appoints Myners on 1 pound salary to lead review
2013 had lowest Atlantic hurricane count since 1982, says insurance firm
Russia's Putin counts on political solution to Ukraine crisis
Indian ban on gay sex violates international law - U.N.
Berlusconi says arresting him would incite revolution in Italy
S.Korea to cut power use as quarter of nuclear-fired units shut
Mandela signer hits back: I'm sign language champion
Book Talk: Turow's 'Identical' gives modern twist to Greek myth
Troubled Co-op groups appoints Myners to lead review
Blast near U.S. embassy in Kabul was accident, Afghan official says
Mandela mimer hits back: I'm sign language champion
Bangladesh court clears the way for Islamist's execution
Blast near U.S. embassy in Afghan capital, witnesses and official say
For some Obamacare shoppers, a brief grace period on premiums
Focus turns to Thai military, anti-govt protesters tell them to pick sides
U.S. wildlife managers urge lifting Yellowstone grizzly protections


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Browse Through:
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1. PAMAP2 Physical Activity Monitoring: The PAMAP2 Physical Activity Monitoring dataset contains data of 18 different physical activities, performed by 9 subjects wearing 3 inertial measurement units and a heart rate monitor.
2. URL Reputation: Anonymized 120-day subset of the ICML-09 URL data containing 2.4 million examples and 3.2 million features.
3. Buzz in social media : This data-set contains examples of buzz events from two different social networks: Twitter, and Tom's Hardware, a forum network focusing on new technology with more conservative dynamics.
4. Gas sensor arrays in open sampling settings: The dataset contains 18000 time-series recordings from a chemical detection platform at six different locations in a wind tunnel facility in response to ten high-priority chemical gaseous substances
5. Gas Sensor Array Drift Dataset at Different Concentrations: This archive contains 13910 measurements from 16 chemical sensors exposed to 6 different gases at various concentration levels.
6. Daily and Sports Activities: The dataset comprises motion sensor data of 19 daily and sports activities each performed by 8 subjects in their own style for 5 minutes. Five Xsens MTx units are used on the torso, arms, and legs.
7. Character Trajectories: Multiple, labelled samples of pen tip trajectories recorded whilst writing individual characters. All samples are from the same writer, for the purposes of primitive extraction. Only characters with a single pen-down segment were considered.
8. OPPORTUNITY Activity Recognition: The OPPORTUNITY Dataset for Human Activity Recognition from Wearable, Object, and Ambient Sensors is a dataset devised to benchmark human activity recognition algorithms (classification, automatic data segmentation, sensor fusion, feature extraction, etc).
9. PEMS-SF: 15 months worth of daily data (440 daily records) that describes the occupancy rate, between 0 and 1, of different car lanes of the San Francisco bay area freeways across time.
Supported By:
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A damaged hoist cable and the inability to find equipment needed to repair the fraying cable are the two causal factors in the Coast Guard's unsuccessful rescue of an injured crewmember off the sailing vessel Freefall during heavy weather Oct. 28, 2008, according to a Coast Guard final action memo released Wednesday.
The memo directs 12 actions including reviewing existing policies, checklists, and maintenance and gear stowage procedures related to aircraft search and rescue mission preparation; determining the feasibility of equipping the MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter with cable chaffing guards in critical areas when right external fuel tanks are installed; and, evaluating the emergency rescue device for effectiveness in heavy weather hoisting operations.
The purpose of the investigation was to identify and better understand the factors that led to the unsuccessful rescue and what can be done to prevent future mishaps. "The crew of CG 6003 attempted to prosecute this search and rescue case in the most hazardous conditions," wrote Vice Adm. Sally Brice O'Hara, Coast Guard vice commandant. "The tragic loss of Freefall's crewmember reminds us that we must continue to diligently commit and direct our efforts to perform operations as safely and effectively as possible."
The 5th Coast Guard District command center received an emergency position indicating radio beacon signal from the sailing vessel Freefall the evening of Oct. 28, 2008. Subsequent reports indicated the vessel had rolled, de-masted and begun to flood, but flooding had been stabilized. The Freefall's owner requested that he and his crew of two, which included a man who had been injured, be removed from the vessel.
The crew of the Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopter CG 6003 launched from Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C. On scene weather conditions consisted of 40-knot winds with gusts up to 50-knots, 20- to 40-foot waves, and low visibility. Based on the condition of the vessel and weather conditions, the pilot decided to deploy the rescue swimmer to begin hoisting the crew from the vessel. Once aboard the Freefall, the rescue swimmer learned the injured male crewmember was ambulatory and decided to hoist the survivor from the water.
After multiple attempts to hoist the injured crewmember, a section of hoist cable was damaged, precluding further use without repair. The flight mechanic cut the cable, intending to splice it, but was unable to locate the device necessary to make the repair.
CG 6003 used the last remaining hoist option, the Emergency Rescue Device. While the Emergency Rescue Device was being rigged for use, CG 6003 deployed a life raft which the rescue swimmer recovered. The rescue swimmer then placed the injured crewman into the the life raft. The Emergency Rescue Device was lowered, the rescue swimmer attached it to his harness and maintained his grip on the crewmember, but the rescue swimmer was pulled violently through strong waves numerous times and was eventually separated from the injured crewmember.
The rescue swimmer, who was injured during the rescue attempt, was hoisted into CG 6003 without the Freefall crewmember. Without any further means to rescue the injured Freefall crewmember, the CG-6003 returned to base. A Coast Guard fixed-wing aircraft dropped a life raft for the injured crewmember, but he was never seen getting into it.
When recovered from the water approximately four hours later by an Air Station Cape Cod helicopter crew, the injured Freefall crewman was unresponsive. He was later pronounced dead.
The U.K. Coastguards has been working through the night as parts of the U.K. have been hit by one of the largest tidal surges in decades. Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCCs) at Stornoway,
The Canadian government has announced the award of two contracts totaling $1.1M to Northern Transportation Company Limited for Vessel Life Extension refit work
Within the last year, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) has issued several port state control (PSC) detentions due to inoperative water mist systems on vessels trading to the US.
In response to the ongoing threat of piracy in shipping, France and Japan are allowing armed guards on their ships, said U.K. maritime security company GoAGT. Gerry Northwood OBE,
Maui Acquisition Corp, the parent corporation of The Safariland Group, a global provider of a diverse range of safety and survivability products designed for the public safety,
The Tognum Group & its subsidiary MTU Friedrichshafen situated on Lake Constance provide staff with numerous possibilities for reconciling the demands of work and private life,
Bourbon inform that on the recommendation of the Nominating, Compensation and Governance Committee, the Board of Directors has decided to reappoint Christian Lefèvre
Carnival Corporation & plc has appointed US Navy retired Vice Admiral William Burke to the newly created position of Chief Maritime Officer, effective December 9, 2013.
The government is to make big changes to the way it subsidises renewable energy, with subsidies for windfarms set to rise at the expense of onshore options, reports BBC News.
Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) welcomes the release of the independent review of its response to the grounding of the Rena, and the announcement of $2 million of government
Twenty more maritime companies came together to sign the Maritime Singapore Green Pledge to signify their commitment towards promoting clean and green shipping in Singapore.


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I don't think so. Gay men and women have been traveling for decades and are some of the most thoughtful and educated travelers. So they may be more adventurous, but all travelers are looking for unique and authentic experiences.
2. What tips do you have for gay readers planning a honeymoon?
Don't think you have to feel pressure to plan the trip for immediately following the wedding; it should work in your schedule and not be rushed or cause unneeded stress. A honeymoon should be an adventure. Think of it as bucket-list travel, not a throwaway vacation. I hope people will use it as an excuse to take that always-dreamed-for trip, whether that's Easter Island (very gay-friendly) or Angkor Wat or Machu Picchu or hiking the Rockies.
3. What are the top gay-friendly honeymoon locations in the US?
I think these are fairly similar to any honeymoon destination and depend on the couple, whether they want fun in the sun or a more remote, romantic locale. I think Puerto Rico is a good domestic destination, but rather than San Juan, instead the W Resort Vieques or the St. Regis Bahia Resort are both extremely luxurious.
I also recommend the Hyatt in Key West or Canyon Ranch in Arizona. Hawaii remains one of the top destinations, but I think people wanting a more remote/romantic experience should look toward the Big Island rather than typical locales popular with most tourists.
4. What are the top gay-friendly honeymoon locations outside the US?
Europe remains the No. 1 destination for all travelers and honeymoons. France and Italy never go out of style. Barcelona and Greek Islands such as Mykonos or Santorini are also top choices (for good reason). But I think people should go there for a great trip anyway and not save it for a honeymoon.
I'm a big fan of the adults-only Oasis Sens in Cancun or its sister property in Tulum. The Mayan Riviera and the Yucatan are among the most romantic nearby destinations for US travelers that are often overlooked and have really grown up. In the Caribbean, Curacao is the best place for a honeymoon.
The adventure-by-day, luxury-by-night concept is a great way to bond, doing activities and creating memories that will last forever while also having some pampering. So I think Ka'ana in Belize should be on everyone's list: It is a beautiful location and offers opportunities for exploring gorgeous caves, Mayan pyramids and great cuisine. Tel Aviv is a top destination for gay travelers in general and can offer a great honeymoon opportunity since it includes great beaches, great food, and amazing cultural opportunities, and adventure excursions.
5. What are the top gay travel sites?
Out magazine and OutTraveler, naturally.
6. Are there specialty tour operators who specialize in arranging tours for gay couples that you recommend?
One of my favorite that I hope people will experience is Anazure. It's an offshoot of Backpacker Concierge and curates authentic adventurous excursions all over the world. I like founder Eric Monkaba's attitude about travel and what people are looking for — once-in-a-lifetime experiences that aren't pre-packaged or antiseptic.
7. What's your surefire way of knowing that a place is gay-friendly?
TAG-approved properties can be a start. They will not ask awkward questions about two men or women wanting a single bed and won't have gender-specific signifiers on sign-in forms, etc. And TripAdvisor has become the most powerful force for all travelers (although at times it should be taken with a grain of salt and treated with skepticism).
But I think that can be a complicated and loaded question. Although few people would think of most African nations as "gay-friendly," that doesn't mean LGBT travelers don't want to experience a safari or visit a destination. Currently South Africa is probably the only country on the continent where most gay travelers truly feel safe — but anything can happen anywhere to anyone at anytime. That's just life.
As long as travelers of any persuasion are informed and careful, they can and should experience a destination. Just travel smart and not feel entitled. The U.S. Department of State has recently begun offering tips for LGBT travelers. It's a personal decision how one spends his or her money and deciding what sorts of governments and populations are receiving it. Remember that it's rarely the government in power that is going to benefit, it's the people in the service industry at the destination.
8. Are there specific places that gay men ought to avoid, e.g. countries with anti-homosexuality laws?
Again, many African countries are dangerous and are easily identified as so. Many people are boycotting Russia at the moment. I think people should be very careful about visiting and hesitant for good reason since Putin's apparent campaign against gays. Much of the Middle East is often written off, but as I said, Israel is one of the most gay-friendly places to visit anywhere, let alone the region.
9. What can you/should you do if you encounter homophobic treatment during the planning stage?
Vote with your dollars. If you don't like the treatment, don't give someone your money. File a complaint. Most properties, destinations, and travel companies survive on their TripAdvisor ratings and reviews. If they get enough negative ones they will either change their policies or be out of business.
10. How do you feel about honeymooning in a spot in the company of lesbians?
Some people enjoy a mixed crowd. A place like Rehoboth Beach in Delaware, for example, prides itself on a mixture of ages, gay, lesbian, and straight. Some people want to be surrounded by likeminded (or look-alike) people. Some people want to be free of any children. Some LGBT travelers want to bring their children along to enjoy their honeymoon with them. It's all personal preference, and there is a destination for every one.
Jerry Portwood is the executive editor of Out, the world's gay fashion and lifestyle magazine. He lived in Okinawa, Japan as a teenager and later lived with his partner in Barcelona, Spain and has traveled extensively. He lives in New York City with his partner of 12 years and has yet to decide if they will get legally wed.


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A collection of news and information related to Fiesta Bowl published by this site and its partners.
Top Fiesta Bowl Articles
Displaying items 45-55
Big 12 Notebook: Cowboys riding high after Baylor upset
Story | Nov 24, 2013 | 5:44 PMThe Sports Xchange Big 12 Notebook: Cowboys riding high after Baylor upset The challenge was daunting. Mike Gundy even acknowledged his Oklahoma State team needed to score points because Baylor was going to generate offense. Why not feel that way... -
Trendsetters at NIU
Lynch leads Northern Illinois past Western Michigan
Story | Nov 26, 2013 | 8:36 PMThe Sports Xchange Lynch leads Northern Illinois past Western Michigan DEKALB, Ill. -- Northern Illinois senior quarterback Jordan Lynch made sure his final home game at Huskie Stadium was a historic occasion. Lynch broke his own Football Bowl... -
Preview: Florida State at Florida
Story | Nov 26, 2013 | 3:14 PMSportsDirect Inc. Preview: Florida State at Florida The task for host Florida is simple - knock No. 2 Florida State from the ranks of the unbeaten Saturday in the annual Thanksgiving weekend matchup between the rivals. The Gators have won seven of the... -
Looking Back, And Ahead, With The Unbeaten UConn Women
Scandal involving Jameis Winston isn't necessarily end of a title run
College Football Top 25: A lot of pressure on Baylor
On Coach O's future at USC, the BCS myth and Big Ten irrelevance
Muschamp blames Gators' offense, vows 'we will get it fixed'
Fresno State 69, New Mexico 28
Story | Nov 23, 2013 | 4:41 PMThe Sports Xchange Fresno State 69, New Mexico 28 Senior quarterback Derek Carr moved No. 15 Fresno State one step closer to a long-awaited BCS bowl bid, leading the unbeaten Bulldogs to a 69-28 victory over New Mexico on Saturday before a sellout crowd... -
Assuming Stanford wins the Big Game, it has plenty of scoreboard watching to do.
Story | Nov 22, 2013 | 6:20 PMEven if the 116th Big Game is a blowout, as expected, it stands to be a tension-filled Saturday for Stanford and an anxious final few weeks. The Cardinal's postseason fate depends on the outcome of a handful of games across the country during the stretch...


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Warminster People has all the Double Glazing companies and installers in Warminster listed, many with reviews and star ratings; if you're looking for double glazing in Warminster select one of the double glazing companies from the list below for good quality local craftsmanship in Warminster - be sure to return to Warminster People to leave a review.
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