The top 10 family games of 2011

Full Story: Games Beat [via Imposing Headlines]

Family games have seen a resurgence in recent years. These games are more about getting everyone in the room involved than spending 18 hours clawing and scratching your way through a singular adventure.

Not only are family games simple for all to enjoy, in recent years some of the world’s most recognizable brands have gotten in on the fun. Which are the ten best of the year that was? Well these may include Kinect Disneyland Adventures, LittleBigPlanet 2, Fruit Ninja Kinect and many more.

Read full story for a selection of best games by Games Beat. Is your best game listed here?

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Kepler-21b: Near Earth-Sized Planet Discovered

Huffington Post 30 Nov

The National Optical Astronomy Observatory announced on Wednesday the discovery of Kepler-21b, a new planet that's close to the size of earth and is only about 352 light years away.

"By astronomical standards, that's right next door," Katy Garmany, the Deputy Press Officer at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, told HuffPost.

Read full story for details

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Infographic: Female Gamers are more socially active and happy

Mashable 29 Nov

A urvey by Infographic published by Mashable reveals that females that find a hobby in gaming are more active in their social lives than those who don't find gaming attractive and playable.

Screen shot from Infographic Survey

According to a Harris Interactive survey of 2,000 U.S. adults, female online gamers are more social, happy, sexually and physically active than their non-gaming counterparts. Gaming is a stress reliever for most of these women (61%), while 16% game online to connect with others.

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Video: Biggest RC Plane ever !!

I haven't seen such a big RC airplane before - and was really dazzled to look at its size. Watch the video below and you will agree too. You can compare it size from the very opening of th video when a man in red runs up to the plane for final cheeks. Amazing !!

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Live Streaming Links: Brazilian Grand Prix [Free-HD]

Vettel will lead the racing line today as the last F1 of the year will kick off at Sao Paulo. 

The race will start at 16:00 GMT live from Sao Paulo 

The live Streaming links for the race is given HERE !!

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How To Port Android 2.3.7 To HP TouchPad

Full Story: Telecom News Bulletin 27 Nov

Recently, Cyanogen released the third alpha of CyanogenMod 7.1 version, and with its help you can update your HP TouchPad with CyanogenMod 7.1 Alpha 3.

The report and procedure was first published by Rootzwiki on their forum. As per the report the new CM 7.1 comes with many big and small bug fixes and one can check all that in the release log of the latest version posted in the bullitein from RootzWiki. 

This guide is for the users who have already got CyanogenMod 7.1 Alpha 1 or 2 installed on their HP TouchPad.

Read full story for details

[via Imposing Headlines]

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Bryan / Bryan - Mirnyi / Nestor Men's Doubles Tour Finals Live Streaming [Free HD]

"600th Post of Hobby Shobbys"

Bryan brothers will face Miryni/Nestor in the Doubles Semi finals of ATP World Tour Finals today in London. Bryans have lost 1 match in the tournament, wheras Mirnyi/Nestor have won all the matches so far.

Bryan brothers (L) Miryni/Nestor (R)

The match will begin at 12:15 GMT live from O2 Arena, London.

The live Streaming links for the match are given at Sporty Arena

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Vintage darlings in Islamabad

Full Story / Slide Show: Express Tribune

The old cars' crazies took out their valuable fleet of darlings on the streets of Islamabad. View the slide showHERE, if you are old car crazy too.

1959 Cadillac Fleetwood in Islamabad (Photo: Express Tribune)

The shows was organized by Volkswagen Club of Pakistan and Vintage & Classic Car Club of Pakistan.

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Solar Eclipse on 25 November

Full Story: International Astronomical Union

On Friday, 25 November 2011, a solar eclipse will sweep across the southern part of the world, with the Moon covering about 80% of the Sun at the south pole.  

Solar Eclipse (File Photo)

Only viewers close enough to Antarctica — in Cape Town, South Africa, near sunrise, and in the Australian island of Tasmania and the South Island of New Zealand near sunset — will be able to see the Sun eclipsed.

Read full story for details

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Thanksgiving Recipes from Celebrities

Thanksgiving is the day to celebrate around and has been talked of much on net. But do you know how some of your famous celebrities celebrated the festival in their very own way and cooking dishes of their most liked recipes?

Gwyneth Paltrow - Ted Turner - Dolly Parton - Neil Patrick Harris

Well to make the question easy for you, how about Neil Patrick Harris' Ooey Gooey Bars, Dolly Parton's Cream of Vegetable Soup, Ted Turner's Applesauce Cake, or Gwyneth Paltrow's Whole Roasted Turkey? 

The recipes are leaked !!- but not quite as yet. Read "Thanksgiving Recipes: Turkey, Pies, Green Beans, Vegetarian & More From Celebrities" at Hufington Post for more on your favourite celebrity's favourite Thanksgiving dishes and recipes. It may help you in choosing one for you.

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GPS aided Pet Tracking Devices: Good news for Pet Hobbyists

Full Story: The Times of India [via Imposing Headlines]

It is reported that almost half of the pets that enter animal shelters each year are strays or lost animals - but thanks to the technology and resultant growing use of GPS technology that now allows owners to track down roaming cats, missing dogs and other runaway pets. 

Several GPS aided Pet Tracking Devices are now being marketed that attach to collars and can be monitored by handsets, cellphones or computers with relative ease. 

Read full story for many GPS devices available to track the "run-away" pets.

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Pet keeping Hobby

In my previous posts, I have added many new hobbies people adopt around the world. Today we will talk of pet keeping as a hobby. Like some of the most favourite hobbies, pet keeping is also one of the widely adopted hobbies around the world. Keeping pets is popular from children to old, and more so in children who find friends in their pets and are almost inseparable once the two get along well.

I once heard one pet hobbyist saying that she loved her pets just like her children – and how right she was, since by and by the tending of pets becomes as dearer and kinder as that of one’s own off springs.  And especially for the reason that the pets once adopted become pet holder and hobbyists’ sole responsibility.

There is no restriction on keeping the kind of animal, bird or fish. People even go petting deadly reptiles like snakes and alligators. I once went to a friend’s home and was almost horror stricken when I found a big black cobra coming towards me – before I could die of horror, my friend realised my plight and laughingly grabbed the monster and put him inside the cage.

Most popular pets however remain dogs, cats, small birds and animals like deer and many forms of fish. You may not be surprised to know that dead-pets keeping is also a hobby for some.

I will build up the pet section of my blog in days to come. My next post will be on Anatolian Shepherd dogs – I will tell you why, when I write the post soon, I promise.

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Nadal - Tsonga Tour Finals Live Streaming [Free-HD]

Rafeal Nadal will face Wilfred Tsonga in a Group B Round robin match of ATP World Tour FinalsThursday. Although, both of have won and ost one game each,  1, and lost 1 game, in aggregate Tsonga is leading ahead. 

Tsonga (L) Nadal (R)

It's "DO OR DIE" situation for both as loss in this match may result in elimination. Nadal, who was the finalist at O2 Arena will have to work hard, to get pass this test.

The Match will start at 18:15 GMT, 24th Nov 2011, Live from O2 Arena, London

The Live Streaming Links are given at: Sporty Arena

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How to set up your Herb Garden

Have you ever tried to grow anything in a garden? If you’re not the type of person that wants to spend time managing an elaborate fruit or vegetable garden, you might consider planting and maintaining an herb garden. 

While the product might not seem as significant, you’ll still enjoy the constant availability of fresh, delicious herbs to flavor your meals with.

If you want herb garden setting up tips, read "How to set up your Herb Garden - Heb Garden Tips" at Bubblog.

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10 most selling games for ten different gaming consoles

Video games are widely played and loved games across the globe. Each game has its own hardware requirements, hence the variation in the platforms. Some of the popular platforms over the last few decades are Microsoft Xbox, Sony Play Station, Nintendo Wii, Sega Mega drive or even the personal computer. 

Cool Story has listed 10 most selling games for ten different gaming consoles, like Gran Turismo 5, Halo 2, The Sims and many more. Take a look at the selection here

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NASA's Mars Mission ready for Saturday Lift-off

Full Story: Mashable 22 Nov

NASA’s $2.5 billion Mars rover dubbed “Curiosity” is set to liftoff on Saturday. 

NASA's Curiosity projected on Mars (Animation) 

The lift off will be start of a 350+ million mile journey to learn about the possibility of life on the red planet — either in the past or in the future. Check out the video above to learn more about the mission.

Watch video report

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Celebrities' Autographs through Mail

It was once a lot easier to get good autographs through the mail. Internet websites that share celebrity addresses have hurt. Many celebrities began to ask themselves if it was really worth it to spend their free time giving free autographs to people who in many cases didn't care who the celebrity was and planned to sell it ...

Read full post at: Collecting Celebrity Autographs

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Gardening can improve your eating habits

Poor nutrition is a major factor in the deaths of many older adults; even comparable to deaths caused from cigarette smoking. Though older adults tend to report a higher intake of fruit and vegetables than other age groups, over half of the U.S. older population does not meet the recommendation of five daily servings of fruit and vegetables. 

A new study now concludes that gardening can increase one’s intake of fruits and vegetables. Continue to read HERE for more on this revealing findings.

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Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains !!

Source: Funzug

The following sculptures have been beautifully made from CHAINS - chains of which Jean-Jacques Rousseau said in his famous "Discourse on Inequality": Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.

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Swampy - the new App star

Full Story: Bloomberg BusinessWeek [via Imposing Headlines]

Swampy: Disney's new creation for iPhones

Disney's Swampy is going to be the next hot games for the Apple iPhones. Living in an underground sewer, the googly-eyed reptile likes to lounge around in his subterranean bathtub while he scrubs his back with a brush.

Players will love to swipe their fingers across an iPhone screen to guide water into his tub while dodging toxic sludge and collecting rubber duckies as prizes.

With the 99¢ app, also available for the iPad, Disney is attempting to do something it has never done before: spin a multimillion-dollar franchise out of a character that made his debut on a 3.5-inch screen.

Read full story for more on Swampy !!

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Recipe: Sticky Toffee Pudding With Butterscotch Sauce

Source: Funzug

Sticky Toffee Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce

These sticky little puddings will keep for a couple of days wrapped in cling-film in the fridge. Return them to room temperature and make the sauce when you are ready to serve.

Serves: 6

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

You will need:

200g fresh dates, stoned and finely chopped

175g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tbsp Camp coffee essence

100ml milk

75g butter

150g caster sugar

2 eggs

Sifted icing sugar and chopped fresh dates to decorate

[See also: Crunchy blackberry crumble recipe]

For the sauce:

45g butter

8 tbsp soft brown sugar

200ml whipping cream

1 tbsp vanilla essence

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F/ gas mark 4, and grease 6 x 175ml moulds or teacups. Pour 175 ml boiling water over the chopped dates and set aside to cool. Sift together the flour and baking soda. Add the vanilla and coffee essences to the milk.

2. Cream together the butter and caster sugar with an electric beater until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, a little at a time, beating well between each addition.

3. Fold in the flour mixture and flavoured milk by hand in alternate batches, then pour in the dates and their soaking liquid. Ladle the mixture into the moulds, then stand them on a baking sheet and bake in the centre of the oven for about 30 minutes, until they are just firm and starting to pull away from the sides of the moulds. Remove the puddings from the oven, turn them out on to a wire rack and leave to cool.

4. To make the sauce, heat the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over a medium heat.  When the butter is bubbling, add the sugar and stir together over heat for about three minutes  until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid is foamy and bubbling. Carefully pour in the cream, then turn down the heat and gently stir together. Boil for a further one to two minutes then add the vanilla essence. Leave to cool slightly.

5. To serve, ladle a spoonful of sauce over the top of each pudding. Decorate with chopped fresh dates and sifted icing sugar, and serve with whipped cream.

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Apple Removes its only iOS Game "Texas Hold’em" from App Store

[Full Story: Chip Hazard] 17 Nov

Apple has removed Texas Hold’em from the App store which was the first and only iOS game that Apple itself ever made. Even though the page still remains, its no longer available to download for iPhone.

Texas Hold’em, the famous poker game,  was first introduced to iPod in 2006. In 2008, Apple updated the game for its App Store, when App Store was officially introduced in 2008 to allow third party developers to make apps for iPod Touch and iPhone.

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Theme Specific Stamps - Nelson Mandela

The name of Nelson Mandela will go down in history for he is a living legend which stood against the apartheid rule and finally won over independence for his native country South Africa. He spent 27 long years of his youth in most notorious prisons of South Africa, was tortured, put in solitary confinement and made to do hard labour like criminals. But his determination never waned and everyday he started his life in slavery with a renewed resolve to rid his fellow countrymen from the yoke of slavery one day.

That big day did come in his life and he stood tall above his previous masters with no vengeance, but with humility and love for everyone that lives in South Africa. 

While he was honoured and crowned with many laurels and awards, including the 1993 Nobel Prize fro Peae, which he shared with Frederik Willem de Klerk, many countries have issued commemorative stamps bearing his portrait to salute his efforts for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa. Herein under are some of these stamps:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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10 best Sports Games on iPhone

Full Story: Game Pro

Mobile phones, or smartphones or iPhones have become more than a platform to communicate. These besides many other services and Apps, are also a superb time pass gadgets to play games when in transit, at rest or even when counting countless sheep do not make you sleep.

Game Pro has carried out a survey incorporating those iPhone users who love to play sports games on their phones and have listed best ten sport games that are popular in iPhone users. These games include Madden 12, Let's Golf 3, Flick Soccer, NFL Rivals and many more.

Read full story for for review of the above and the remaining six games not mentioned above.

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RC German Panzer Tiger I Tank Wasserdicht und Schwimmfähig (Waterproof and floatable)

Making Remote Controlled gadgets is fun for hobbyists around the world. The RC lover take pride in flying aircraft jsut as a fighter pilot does in the air. But seeing a battle tanks undergoing rigors of its robustness in marshes and muddy water is something of extreme RC gadgets.

Watch the video below of a German Panzer Tiger 1 Tank which has been waterproof and "floatable" in real battle field like conditions and its cross country run through actual marsh and muddy waters. Amazing !!

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Stunning RC Landing Craft Tanks LIVE !!!

A few days ago, I shared a video of RC 8-foot Carnival Cruise ship ECSTASY and I promised to share a video of landing craft tanks with live firing. I like this video for its closeness to reality and am sharing it today with RC gadget lovers. The most amazing part of the video is the actual landing of the tanks from the landing crafts towards the end of the video.

What is next - let it be a surprise !!

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The Butterfly Nebula from Hubble

Shared from NASA Astronomy Picture of the day
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team

Few butterflies have a wingspan this big. The bright clusters and nebulae of planet Earth's night sky are often named for flowers or insects, and NGC 6302 is no exception. With an estimated surface temperature of about 250,000 degrees C, the central star of this particular planetary nebula is exceptionally hot though -- shining brightly in ultraviolet light but hidden from direct view by a dense torus of dust. This dramatically detailed close-up of the dying star's nebula was recorded by the Hubble Space Telescope soon after it was upgraded in 2009. Cutting across a bright cavity of ionized gas, the dust torus surrounding the central star is near the center of this view, almost edge-on to the line-of-sight. Molecular hydrogen has been detected in the hot star's dusty cosmic shroud. NGC 6302 lies about 4,000 light-years away in the arachnologically correct constellation of the Scorpion (Scorpius).

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Let us make Apple Tart

Recipe Source/Images: Funzug

Crisp autumn apples... sweet, crumbly pastry... deep,  indulgent filling... the perfect tart is easy as pie.

Serves: 8

Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus 30 minutes chilling time,  Cooking time: 50 minutes

You will need:

9in/23cm fluted flan tin with loose bottom

For the pastry (makes 375g):

190g plain flour

Pinch salt

100g cold butter, plus extra for the top

1 tbsp caster sugar, plus extra for dusting

1 medium egg, beaten with 1 tbsp cold water 

For the filling:

25g butter

1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract 

3 tbsp caster sugar

4 medium-size Bramley apples, peeled 

For the topping:

3-4 green and red Golden Delicious (or use a single colour)

Softly whipped double cream, to serve 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. Rub the flour, salt

and butter together to make fine crumbs (or use a processor).

Mix in the sugar, add the egg mix and combine with a knife,

until the mixture clumps together (known as cutting in).

Form into a soft ball with your hands, flatten a little and wrap in cling film.

Chill for around 10 minutes, during which time make the apple purée.

2. Put the butter, vanilla and sugar into a pan and heat gently, to melt the butter.

Thinly slice the peeled Bramley apples straight into the pan, stirring after each apple.

Cover and cook on a low heat for around six minutes, or until the apples are really soft,

stirring once. Whisk to a purée and tip into a bowl to cool.

If you want a smooth purée, use a wand blender.

3. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface, until large enough to line the tin.

Drape over the edges and press into them. Roll the pin over the pastry for a clean edge,

then push it into the flutes. Prick the base with a fork and chill for 20 minutes.

Line the inside with baking paper and a layer of dried beans (they stop the pastry puffing up).

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Turn the oven down to 170°C/325°F/Gas mark 3.

Remove the beans and paper, and bake for a further five minutes.

4. Cut each Golden Delicious apple into four and remove the core.

Divide each piece into around eight thin slices.

Spoon the apple purée into the base and arrange the slices in two

overlapping circles, starting on the outside, then reverse the direction for the

inner circle and add a couple of cut pieces to the centre.

Melt the extra butter and brush over the apples, dust with sugar

and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the apples are tender.

Serve with the cream.

Tip: If the apple slices start to go brown during preparation

(or you want to prepare them in advance),

put into cold water with a squeeze of lemon.

When ready to use, drain and pat dry to remove any excess water.

Delicious alternative:

The pastry can be used for savoury tarts, such as quiches by leaving out the sugar.

Recipe Source

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