MS Offer Limited 300 Themed 360 At Comic-Con

At Comic-Con, Warner Bros - the event sponsors - will be presenting a special screening of the record breaking film 300 at Petco Park - home of the San Diego Padres. At the screening there will only be place for 6,000 lucky Comic-Con attendees to view the film, and out of those 6,000 Microsoft have announced that ten of them will have a chance at getting their hands on a special limited-edition 300-themed Xbox 360 Elite console, which we think looks much nicer than the Halo 3 one.

It is unknown how the attendees will actually win the limited console – and then most likely sell it on eBay – but we imagine they will partake it some sort of grand battle. This is where we FIGHT! This is where they DIE!... Give them nothing! But take from them everything!... Such an offer, only a madman would refuse!

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Getting into 'shape' with Munira Lokhandwala: Love thy Triangles

100 percentiler goddess Munira Lokhandwala throws light on your current CAT study status and suggests possible breakthrough clinchers.
Almost all of us are now at a juncture in our preparation where we have to decide between studying and taking tests. But where one ends up depends a lot on where one started from. Hence let?s look at the possible stages where a student could find himself/herself. We can then look at when one should take comprehensive tests vis-୶is studying concepts. Current Students could be divided into one of these three categories:
1. Just started or recently started.2. Have started three months back or before and have prepared haphazardly3. Have started three months back or before and prepared with some schedule
Now the possible paths for each of these categories are:
Just started or recently startedThe first thing that you should do is read the article Confessions of a serial almost- 100 percentiler. The article will give you an idea on how to start your preparation. You will of course have to re-modify the schedule and study at least 5-6 hours instead of 3 hours. Your aim must now to be to cover relevant theory by the end of August. Comprehensive tests should start by early September or mid September. You can start taking section tests from mid - August after you are familiar with at least 50% of the theory.
Have started three months back or before and have prepared haphazardlyIf you have been preparing without any structure then whatever you have achieved could have been increased by 50%. The first thing you must do is to make a list of the concepts that have yet to be covered by you. After the list is complete give each item a date and then follow the date given and keep the end of July as your deadline for studying. In August you can take section tests along with revision of topics every alternate day. You must start taking comprehensive tests by the beginning of September.
Have started three months back or before and prepared with some scheduleDo you really need this article? If you have prepared with a schedule then you must be comfortably moving towards completion of your theory. Keep the 15th August (Independence Day) deadline in mind and try to finish all theory by that time. If you think you may finish earlier then you can start taking section tests. Otherwise as some immortal philosopher must have said ?You are doing just fine?. Now let?s get to the important question of when do we start taking comprehensive tests? The ?when? can be read in two distinct ways: ?when? with respect to time and ?when? with respect to the stage in your preparation. Before we analyze these two aspects we should comprehend the purpose of comprehensive tests.
Why do we take comprehensive tests?Speed: The first and foremost reason should be to increase speed and that happens only with practice. But remember practice is not the only cause behind increase in speed. There are other important factors like knowledge of important concepts, understanding of basics: if you do not understand basics you cannot apply them to tougher problems. Both these attributes are a prerequisite for speed; taking test papers without these attributes is pointless. Also speed can be developed by taking section tests first.Concentration: Most of us are not used to sitting two hours at a stretch, a high degree of concentration is also not easy for first time test takers. Comprehensive tests make us sit for two hours at a stretch and we increase our attention span. Hence taking tests as soon as you can makes sense. But remember studying two hours at a stretch whenever you study can increase concentration. Of course studying for two hours at a stretch is not as rigorous as taking a test but that is a better way to start your two-hour sessions than comprehensive tests.Time Management: A very important value provided by the comprehensive test is an idea of our strengths and weakness. If a student takes a section test, he/ she has no idea about time management in a comprehensive test. Remember a comprehensive test is not simply ?n? section tests rolled into one. In a section test you have no option but to give 40/ 30/ x mins to your section but in a comprehensive test when you have 2 hours for the entire paper then you have some more flexibility to maximize your chances of getting calls. This is especially important for students who have strong strengths / weakness. Let me explain-- if a student very weak in Math and strong in English takes a normal 3 section comprehensive test he/ she can easily get a very high score in English but a fairly poor score in Math. In this case the student can realize that there is no point scoring absurdly high marks in English when the quant score is not even competent hence he or she can decide to give 5/10 mins out of English into Math, this may lower the overall score but definitely ensure that the student gets all calls. This is where analyzing and taking enough comprehensive tests is important. Students should use them to work out which type of time break up suits them best. Of course if the actual CAT is a timed section test then you have no choice but if it is not, you should utilize the freedom to maximize your score. For some students who are good at all sections they can give say 5/10 less minutes per section and use the last 15 to 30 minutes across sections to maximize score.
But all this makes sense if you have done all the background work of theory, basics and concepts. If you do not know everything for a particular section then whatever data you get regarding scores will be definitely incorrect.Other Reasons: Of course, there are a lot of other reasons like selection of questions, analyzing strengths and weakness within a section, work out the time for varieties of questions but all these objectives could be addressed by section tests. In fact these minor issues should be clarified first by taking some section tests in every section and only then moving ahead with comprehensive tests.
When do we take comprehensive tests?Now based on the above analysis it is fairly obvious that any comprehensive test should be taken after basic theory / concept completion. Also some section tests should have been attempted before taking comprehensive tests. In terms of time as I have analyzed in one of my earlier articles 30 comprehensive tests should be taken on alternate days with revision of some important topics on alternate days. Including some unforeseen off days this should take around 75 days. Hence beginning of September is a good time to start taking comprehensive tests.So please focus on concepts first and then start taking section tests, followed by comprehensive tests in September.

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Porsche Sportec SP580

What's 100 horsepower between stoic, cross-border acquaintances? That's exactly what Switzerland's Sportec has accomplished vis à vis their Teutonic neighbor's Porsche 911 Turbo. It's the SP580, a title comprising the tuner porker's horsepower figure. The top kit among three stages of tweakage includes a turbo upgrade, ECU hack, stainless-steel exhaust system with high-flow catalytic converters and quad tailpipes. Torque measures 564 lb-ft, providing enough thrust to hit 60 mph from a stop in 3.4 seconds, and reach a v-max of 210 mph. Stiffer suspension tune and a body kit complete the Helvetic additionals. Expect some manner of international throwdown on the E41 autobahn to Stuttgart.

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Spy-Photos:2009 Mitsubishi Lancer -- Ralliart?

It looks like spy shooter Hans Lehmann ain't the only quick-shot in town, Brenda "12.1 Megapixel-Shooter" Priddy's also snagged herself some pictures of what appears to be a very high-tech looking 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer...umm...Ralliart edition? As you can see from the pictures, the intercooler's clearly visible behind the mesh grille and this turbocharged not-so-ordinary Mitsubishi has dual exhaust pipes plus 18-inch GTS-like wheels. And since it sure isn't the new Evolution as it's lacking both the flared fenders and EVO wing, Priddy's thinking it's the '09 up-powered "Ralliart." To quote Brenda Priddy: "this performance version of Mitsubishi's Lance must be a Ralliart prototype!" With no evidence to the contrary, we're thinking she may be right.

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Mattel drops new details on I Can Play educational guitar

While the most of us get our shred on via one version of Guitar Hero or another, Mattel is trying to preserve our offsprings' minds a little while longer with a more educationally-inclined toy axe. Originally mentioned at the International Toy Fair, the I Can Play instrument is slated to land this August for $99.99 and will boast the Allegro Multimedia Guitar Wizard Method for learning licks. Furthermore, the guitar will come bundled with a cartridge featuring "six popular songs" to play along with (additional ones will be $14.99 apiece), and rather than just single buttons being placed on the fretboard, the more complex sensor layout is said to be more akin to a real-world six-string. Notably, Mattel and Allegro both assert that this device can be used by kiddos as young as six years old, but we see no reason why those struggling through a mid-life crisis can't relive their own rock fantasies once the children head off to bed.

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Siren intros 5.6-inch DF150 digital photo frame

As if you weren't already inundated with digital picture frames on this beautiful Friday, here's yet another to chew on. Manufactured by Siren (you know, part of iriver), the DF150 ups the ante on the DF100 by expanding the screen real estate from five-inches to 5.6-inches and by increasing the onboard memory from 32MB to half a gigabyte. Additionally, you'll find an obligatory USB 2.0 port alongside memory slots to handle SD, MMC, miniSD, CF, and Memory Stick formats, and you can even change out the outer frame thanks to the wood and acyclic covers that are bundled in. Expect this sucka to land in Japan next week for ¥14,800 ($123).

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Apple TV finally hacked for USB storage expansion

Enterprising Apple TV users have been putting that USB port to good use for ages now, for every hack but the most obvious one: media playback. So far you haven't been able to make a cheap, external USB drive into your primary storage device for kosher Apple TV media, but no longer. The Apple TV Hacks folks have finally figured out a method, and though some Terminal chops and an Intel-based *nix machine (like Mac OS X) are required to run the hack, and it's unclear if it'll work with updated YouTube-enabled Apple TVs running the 1.1 patch, at least it's a start for the storage space-starved.

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Apple wants your iPod to stop charging for thieves

Hey, it's no shocker that Apple's iPod is a coveted item even for those who acquire their wares in less than legal manners, but a recent patent application from Apple shows that someone at Cupertino cares about you rightful owners out there. Essentially, the technology would invoke a "guardian" recharge circuit, which would disable any further charging if the computer (or "other recharger") it was paired with was of the unauthorized variety. According to Apple, this type of limitation would "serve as a deterrent to theft," and while we can only assume that it would be applied first to the iPhone and iPod, the application does insinuate that other handheld, rechargeable devices could eventually benefit from the invention.

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Google News Cushion is Enlightening, Embarrassing

The Google News Cushion is a standard couch pillow that's been printed with the top Google News stories of the year. It's a microcosm, in plush, pillow form, of the collective human experience on planet Earth. For instance, what news did we search most in 2003?

Kobe Bryant, Brittany Spears, Shakira, and 50 Cent. 2005 found itself riddled with trifles like "tsunami" and Hurricane Katrina, but it's promising to know that even in the face of such tragedies, Man still found time to search for Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie Britney Spears again...Needless to say, the pillow becomes a greatest hits list for everything that truly matters in the world.

2003 will run you a steep $250, with other years costing a slightly more reasonable $120. Each pillow is signed for authenticity that it's expensive.

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Lomak Light Control Frees Hands for "Better Uses"

Lomak (Light Operated Mouse and Keyboard) allows for control of an entire computer through the use of a light pointer, accommodating those who have difficulty with traditional input devices.

Operated by hand or head, users aim the beam of light at a pad holding rotary-style letters and numbers. As the light passes over each button, it appears on screen without the need for clicking or nodding or any special gestures. Thereby, typing requires only slight dexterity in a system with nearly no learning curve. Also, no special software or calibration is required, and the Lomak in no way changes the UI of your existing programs.

The Lomak won gold in the 2007 IDEA design awards and we hope to see the design actualized soon. How men everywhere will explain the need for hands-free web browsing is not yet known.

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Academics Like Online Gaming, Too!

According to the BBC, a new review in the journal Science shows that some academics (those wacky social scientists, to be precise) are turning to online games like World of Warcraft and Second Life as a low-cost alternative to real-life studies in a world where spendy grants are increasingly hard to find. From the mundane ('Look! People stand the same distance apart online as they do in real life!') to the not-possible-in-real-life-thanks-to-IRBs ("large-scale studies of alternative governmental regimes"). Earlier academic studies have shown that people share many behaviors on and offline, thus boosting the validity of such studies, but of course they're interested in the differences, as well.

The differences between online worlds such as Second Life and World of Warcraft were also revealing, said Dr Bainbridge.

In Second Life, participants often only create one alter-ego or avatar and identify closely with it. By contrast most Warcraft players maintain several "alts" and regard them as possessions.

Both could throw light on how people create identities and how they seek to project themselves to others, wrote Dr Bainbridge.

Time will tell how more 'traditional' researchers view the validity of such methods (and their conclusions), but the increasing presence of virtual topics in even the most stodgy of academic fields mean it's not going away any time soon.

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