Cararama Diecast Models

Monday, August 16, 2010

Priceless Selling Fake 4GB USB Memory Sticks

You would think buying from a reputable shop, that you would end up with something it says on the tin. But not....

USB Flash Disk, SV-U88 quoted as having 4GB storage capacity is actually a 2GB stick with a piece of software that fouls it in thinking it is 4GB.

So great ... more space - whats the worry?

Well the problem may only come apparent when you use your memory stick fails after saving your only copy of family photos, or even your last four months of programming work. Or maybe, the essay you need to get to the univerity, as you left it to the last second (or minute).

Anyway, the problem is identifing these so called fakes....

How?

Well one of the telltail signs is the apparent use of 'lower' characters when your system detects the stick when you stick it in.

Another most convincing method is when you use linux (an alternative to the Microsoft Windows Operating System) and use the command:

dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/t

*replace the letter t with the sda drive the USB stick is detected as.

After doing this, use fdisk to replace the missing drive initials.

When you format the USB stick you notice that it was less than advertised to be...

Conclusion:.... a fake.

Don't be caught out with these fakes as they only cause grieve when you loss your precious and unreplacable data.

BEWARE OF SECONDHAND MOBILE PHONES

PLEASE READ THIS CAREFULLY SO YOU DO NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE AS I DID. I BOUGHT A SAMSUNG SGH 600, IN EXCELLENT CONDITION, WITH EVERYTHING IN THE BOX, I WAS VERY HAPPY WITH IT, UNTIL I WENT TO PUT IN A NEW T-MOBILE SIM CARD. ON THE SCREEN APPEARED " LIMITED SERVICE ", SO I TOOK IT TO THE T-MOBILE SHOP , EVEN THEY COULD OT HELP.... THE BOTTOM LINE IS I HAVE BEING LEFT WITH A WORTHLESS PHONE .....BEWARE...

Parcel Posting

INTERPARCEL.COM

Superb prices for posting parcels. 25KG trolley jack in a box that is 80cm x 30cm x 20cm is just 10.99 with collection from home address and next day delivery.

If, like me, you are sick of paying the Royal Mail prices, use Interparcel.com....Excellent ! You can even pay by PayPal.

Mac or PC........

Having just made my fist Mac purchase after using Windows since 1992 I was a little nervous, I just sold my old Sony VAIO on eBay and and was in the market for a new laptop.With work we were getting special offers from Apple, Dell and HP and spent hours of time considering the options. I then looked at all of the sites and ventured into the Special Offers on the Apple site and found a MacBook Pro for 1100 (Jan 2007). With an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, and 1GB of RAM and style in a different class I took the plunge. There was one key factor in this decision - Bootcamp. This allows anyone to install a copy of windows onto their Mac, as it turns out very easily.I was disappointed to start with as the delivery from Apple was well over 2 weeks and for this time was without a laptop. I phoned and chased them up and basically was told that the delivery time was 2 weeks or 14 days! I found a site www.apecode.com that was able to provide tracking based on the apple PO number and is well worth using should you take the plunge. Then I received it, packaged beautifully and with elegant simplicity I opened the box and turned it on.The wait was worth it. I was up and running in only a couple of minutes. There is one thing I did consider, the guys at apple must have allot of time on there hands to thing of all the design features on their products. The magnetic power adapter and the back lit keyboard just to start with! I was astounded by the build quality - no other manufacturer is on a par with the apple - this is absolutely the ace up their sleeve!I then went to the Apple website, clicked on support and downloaded bootcamp. I was prepared I had purchased an OEM copy of Windows XP Pro and was raring to go. Except their is one little problem, I seem to forget to boot into Windows and have easily settled into Mac! I do like having Windows there as a backup but have little need for it.

I then went a step too far. The thing is I am a bit of Geek. My Girlfriend is not (Yes I have one). She uses a PC to work with and thought that I should convince her to try Apple, so I went out and bought a shiny new 20" IMac thinking that she would like the simplicity and speed of the Mac OS. Oops! Change is not good as far as most people are concerned. This was a bridge too far, but I had my backup - Bootcamp. Problem solved a Pretty PC and it runs Windows - Fast!

Here are my top tips.

Don't try to force Mac on Devout PC users.same Vica-versa (Mac people are fiercely protective of the Mac in general, who can blame them)You can get some good deals from apple or ebay on Mac's so shop aroundOnly once you own a Mac should you venture to a Mac Store - You could end up spending a fortune at top price!If you want more memory buy it with your iMac and buy it else where for your MacBook Prothe iMac fills all of the Memory slots with the minimum memory size (e.g. 2 x 512 for 1GB)the MacBook Pro uses the minimum memory modules possable thus leaving you able to go elsewhere to get a memory upgrade more cheaply and when you feel you need it! (e.g. 1 x 1GB memory)If you intend to run Visita make sure as to not go for the iBook or the lowest spec. iMac as these do not a good enough graphics cards to get all the fancy stuff that vista offers, and you have less actual memory available as the Graphics Card needs to use the system memory itself - e.g. 1GB system memory - 128MB for grapics leaves you 898MB for the system - not so good under Windows XP, let alone VistaInstalling Windows Vista WILL try your patience. Be warned!go for Mac if your budget is not an issue, if not the PC is the far better optionGood luck, and Enjoy

Creative Construction Toys For Younger Children

Creative Construction ToysEveryone knows about Lego, K'Nex and the like, but what of other creative construction toys? Although not as famous as the market leaders, there are several high-quality construction toys available that can provide hours of fascination and fun for children of all ages.Apart from the obvious entertainment aspect, construction toys play a very important role in the development of a child's motor skills, mental agility and ingenuity. Whereas Lego and K'Nex can be very fiddly and frustrating for small hands, other creative construction toys such asWebbys andClics can be more easily used, and so provide a much more satisfying play experience for the child.In this guide, we are going to describe these two toys in more detail, and show how they can provide a powerful, yet entertaining development toy for your child.ClicsDeveloped by a Belgian company, Clics have taken the USA and Europe by storm. They are not well known in the UK at present, but that is set to change now that they are more easily available here.Designed specifically for younger children, Clics are suitable for both boys and girls from age 3, but will continue to provide immense play value for many years after that. We have known many adults spend hours playing with Clics when the kids have gone to bed!The main Clics pieces are square, with clips on all four sides, enabling them to be clicked onto other Clics pieces at any angle. This allows for the construction of amazing models, from the very simple to the impressively complicated.

DVD Recorders - Buying Guide and FAQS

If I buy a DVD Recorder, can I make copies of DVD films?

No. It's illegal to make copies of films, and most pre-recorded DVDs that you rent or buy have an electronic copy-protection system that prevents copying.

How much can I fit on a DVD disc?

DVD recorders let you trade picture quality for recording time: the better the picture quality, the more space it takes up on the disc. Typically, you'll get about an hour's worth of best-quality recording on one disc. Doubling this to two hours still gives excellent picture quality, and even squeezing three hours on to one disc gives you better quality than a VCR.

Should I buy a personal video recorder (PVR) instead?

A PVR records to a hard disk, like the one in a computer. It has a much larger capacity than a recordable DVD, but the disk isn't removable.Some DVD recorders incorporate a hard disk, so you can record programmes on to the hard disk, and then copy those you want to keep (or share) to a DVD. However, they're not as easy to use as a PVR as they don't have an on-screen electronic programme guide.

What are the differences between DVD-R, DVD-RW and DVD-Ram discs?

There are currently five different DVD-recording formats used by different manufacturers, and discs recorded in one format can't always be played in another machine. DVD recorders can generally record in at least two formats, and usually let you play discs in some other formats, too. Dvd players can usually play discs recorded in three or four different formats.

DVD R and DVD-R

Both these formats let you record to discs only once. The other three formats let you re-record many times on one disc, just as you would with a video tape. If you want to archive your recordings, rather than record over them, it makes sense to opt for the cheaper, DVD-R or DVD R discs. DVD-R and DVD R let you record to disc just once. The other formats let you record over and over again on the same disc

DVD RW and DVD-RW

These formats are compatible with many players. With DVD-RW, recordings can be made in one of two modes video or VR depending on the machine. Video mode is compatible with most DVD players, but you can't edit discs or insert new recordings.

By contrast, VR-mode discs can be edited (a bit like DVD-Ram, below) but they won't play back on many machines.

DVD-Ram

Few DVD players play back DVD-Ram recordings, but this format does offer many handy features. For example, it's the only format that lets you start watching the beginning of a programme while the machine is still recording the end of it. Another unique advantage of DVD-Ram is that, when you delete one recording from a disc, the machine reorders the remaining recordings so there are no gaps when you play the disc.

Are there any useful DVD recorder tips you could give me?

DVD recorders are harder to use than VCRs. There are several different recording formats DVD-Ram is one of the most versatile.Prices are still falling, and the best discounts are usually found online.

If I have a Personal Video Recorder (PVR) can I transfer the information onto my DVD?

You can hook up most PVRs to a VCR or DVD recorder to archive your recordings to disc. Developments such as PVRs with twin digital tuners and built-in DVD recorders are just around the corner.

What is a combination DVD/hard-disk recorder?

Some DVD recorders give you more flexibility with a built-in hard drive. A built-in hard drive offers much greater recording capacity than you get with a single DVD disc (at least eight-and-a-half hours, depending on the model). The space will eventually run out, though, so they're better for recording shows to watch later rather than anything you want to keep permanently. You can then copy any favourite shows to DVD or VCR for permanent storage. The combination DVD/hard-disk recorders we've tested so far are fairly expensive, and can be complicated to use. None is as sophisticated as a personal video recorder (PVR). PVRs also record to a hard drive but recording is much easier thanks to an on-screen electronic programme guide (EPG) ,which gives details and times of forthcoming programmes.

How much can I store on a disk?

DVD recorders let you trade picture quality for recording time the better the picture quality you opt for, the more space it will take up on the disc. Blank discs can store two hours of recordings in standard-play (SP) mode, providing images as good as live TV. Most recorders let you fit up to eight hours on a disc, but picture quality deteriorates the more you cram in.

A Guide To Industrial Shrink Wrapping Heat Guns

Industrial Shrink Wrap Heat Guns

Swiss

The last quarter of the 19th and the first quarter of the 20th century was a golden age period for keyless wind pocket watches. These watches are wound from the top crown and without the use of a winding key. The majority of such watches were made in either Switzerland or the USA and often to very high standards. Sadly the English competition was nominal and a little too late, however, there are of course a number of high grade products made, which are well worth watching out for.

I thought it useful to explain a few terms which are often used and abused by sellers on eBay.

1. CASE- these can be made of base metal, gun-metal, nickel, silver plated, solid silver, gold plated or filled, solid gold and finally platinium.

If the case is solid gold or silver there will be clear hall-marks or stamps to the inside cover of the case. The area to take care is the so called "gold filled" cases. At their best these can be substantial and high quality with two thick layers of gold sandwiching a base metal inner. Look out for the 20 or 25 year grades, they show practically no wear after 70-100 years and look and feel like solid gold, so do take care. The lower grades are 10 and 5 year and now often show significant wear, often termed "brassing" and can look very unattractive indeed.

Take care when reading a watch description, if not unsure, then ask the seller a question before the auction ends. These cases can be replated, but having tried it, they never look as good as the original, so please ask questions first!

2. DIAL - normally made of white vitreous enamel with black Roman or Arabic hour numerals and a subsidary seconds dial. The better quality watches have double sunk dials, or letters replacing numbers or even high colored or decorated. Try to avoid watches with damaged dials, whilst they can be repaired by professionals, this is a costly and expensive business.

Also do take care of the many "improved" dials one so often sees on eBay with a historical picture painted onto a dial centre or the numbers replaced by a "name". This type of work is detrimental to the pocket watch and dramatically reduces their value. Do check on authenticity and if it is a valuable watch, make sure the seller is reliable.

3. MOVEMENT - these come in all shapes and sizes from fob (ladies size watch) through to 18 size (about 55-58 mm diameter). The higher quality movements often have a damasced or highly engraved and decorated surface finish, this is very common with many of the American factories.

Do look out for watches with 15 jewels at the minimum, which means that90% of the movement is jewelled and of good quality, higher grades were often made to Rail-road specifications and can still be excellent time-keepers today and great presents. The majority of better grade watches will have a lever escapement and therefore capable of a very good performance and time-keeping.

There are many fine Swiss watches sold on eBay where the seller has not checked the movement carefully, by removing the balance cock or taking off the dial to look for a makers name or trade-mark. Such care and efffort can and does reap rewards once you start to know what to look for!

4. MAKERS- Recommended companies amongst the Swiss watch makers are : IWC, Le Coultre, Longines, Moser, Zenith, Touchon, Omega, Patek, Vacheron, and Rolex.

From England, fine makers such as Frodsham, Dent and Nicole Nielson amongst others are well worth buying and they make good investments. Watches from these makers were expensive in their day and were not mass produced and were made to very high standards indeed.

Whilst from the USA there is such a large element of choice that I will list a few of the more common brands and these include, Elgin, Hamilton, Illinois, and Waltham, there are many more and I would recommend buying the Complete Price Guide to Pocket Watches, latest edition, by Shugart which givesvery fulldetails and at 1200 pages long is a recommended read.

5. CHECKING YOUR WATCH- For many people I appreciate that the watch bought may be just as a gift or anniversary or birthday present. But please do take care with your purchase and make sure that the watch you have bought is as it was stated on the EBay auction. Do check for case wear, the glass is clear, dial as stated and the watch winds and the hands set easily.

6. WATCH CLEANING AND OVERHAUL- Awatch has to tell the time, and time-pieces from this period, 1870-1930 are capable of excellent time keeping and are ideal as every-day watches,and are beautifully made time-capsules from another era. All watches from this period should be cleaned and overhauled by a professional watch-maker/repairer who should give a 1 year guarantee on his work. However, do note that such work is not cheap and can easily cost anywhere between 30-250 depending on the amount of work the watch requires. If a watch is sold on eBay, requiring a clean and overhaul, do check with your local watch specialist for a guide price prior to bidding.

We are more than happy to answer questions relating to such watches on our eBay auctions as and when offered, happy hunting and wishing you all the very best of luck.

Vehicle Outline Software

There is only 1 producer of Vehicle outlines in the UK. Impact Graphic Solutions have been producing their Impact Vehicle Library since 1995. Of late there have been quite a few sellers on ebay pirating copies of the outlines and them selling them on ebay as their own. This is no different than buying a music cd or computer game then producing copies and selling them. Impact will pursue anybody that pirates their software primarily through ebays vero program, then follow that up with legal action if necessary. The library is an ongoing collection that has been 12 years in the making, many 1000's of hours have been spent meticulously producing the outlines. Knowing all of this some people think it is fine to burn a copy and list it on ebay at a cut down price. It is theft pure and simple.

Impact's Vehicle Library is available for 99. It is supplied with a fully illustrated 250 page manual. The purchaser is then entitled to 12 months of free updates. Any new vehicles that come out in that time will be emailed free of charge. Telephone support is provided and we will also do our best to produce any outlines that may not be on the collection.

Please consider this if you are thinking of purchasing a copied cd from ebay. And if you are new to Sign Making feel free to contact Impact Graphic Solutions for a chat about any aspect of the trade.

BUYERS BEWARE!

I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO BUY RUGBY TICKETS ON FOUR OCCASIONS ON E-BAY, ON THREE OF THESE OCCASIONS THEY WERE SCAMS!!!!!!!!!

AS AN AVID RUGBY SUPPORTER IT P***** ME OFF WHEN JERKS AND CRIMINALS ATTEMPT (AND QUITE OFTEN SUCCEED!) IN RIPPING PEOPLE OFF FOR LARGE SUMS OF HARD EARNED CASH. SO FOR ANYBODY CONSIDERING BUYING TICKETS OR ANY OTHER HIGH VALUE ON E-BAY BEAR THE FOLLOWING IN MIND!

HAPPY BIDDING AND BEAR IN MIND THAT A GENUINE SELLER (AND MOST ARE ON E-BAY!) WONT MIND ANY OF THE ABOVE.

Shaving Problems? You Don't Know How Lucky You Are!

Today's man may suffer from shaving rash, razor burn and sensitive skin but compared to our forefathers he's in the lap of luxury. This article takes a brief look at how men coped with their facial fungus in days of yore . .

Did you know that the average man's beard hairs have the same tensile strength as copper wire? It's a fact. So maybe it's not so surprising that in remote antiquity most mature men resembled a badger peering out of a hedge! Why? Simple - their beards stubbornly refused to stop growing and they had nothing sharp or tough enough to cut them with!

Some of the really ancient ways of coping with excessive beard growth were not only painful, they were downright dangerous. Research indicates that one of the first ways of de-bearding (it can't in any way be called shaving) was to simply set the beard on fire. No, it's not a joke but the first practitioners of the craft probably didn't intend to do it anyway.

Picture the scene. It's a warm summer's day sometime in the Old Stone Age. There stands your average 'caveman', looking like a mobile haystack. He ambles over to his spouse who's got a fire going and is cooking something he knocked over the head earlier. Mmm - that smells good. He bends lower and lower, trying to pinch a succulent piece while she's not looking (some things never change, eh?). Suddenly - whoosh! Up goes his beard and most of his hair in flames. The resulting tumult is best left to the imagination.

After he's been extinguished and calmed down he notices something - he can see a lot better and he's much cooler, several pounds of matted hair having been removed from around his face. All his mates jeer at him for looking like a boy but soon they realise that the figure of fun can not only see better to throw his spear, he can keep a better eye out for the lions and bears that want to eat him . . .

Maybe that's how shaving was born. Maybe our caveman's better half, seeing his near-naked face, thought how he looked a darn sight better than the wooly mammoth he was beginning to resemble. Who knows? Yet a less traumatic method of removing beards, whereby they are singed off with a small firebrand, is thought to have persisted in many tribes right up until the age of copper. We can only guess at the state of those poor guys' skins after having a 'shave' in those days!

Next along the deforestation route was a method probably no less painful but considerably less dangerous: hair plucking. Now we all know that modern ladies pluck their eyebrows and various other body areas but guys! let's face it! - they're not trying to drag hairs out that grow out of your face but seem to have roots in the vicinity of your knees, are they? No. That's a reason that this was, amongst certain Native American tribes, considered an activity that only real men took part in and persisted way after much better shaving tools were to be had.

The Romans, by the way, abhorred all bodily hair and spent hours at the baths having their entire bodies plucked - and I do mean the lot. No wonder they had such an empire - had to get rid of all that pent-up aggression somewhere or other (it wasn't considered manly to howl in anguish whilst some sadist with tweezers went to work on your tender bits, by the way). So they just went out and overran Gaul instead, where all the men had beards and probably much better temperaments.

Next came flint knives and obsidian, a kind of very hard natural glass. An edge could be produced on tools made from these materials that was certainly sharp enough to give a near-shave, perhaps to a fraction of an inch or so, without removing large chunks of skin in the process. Shells were also used for the same purpose. Yet it wasn't until the Bronze Age that razors that could be called anything like efficient were made - some of these survive today, found in archaeological digs.

Once it was discovered that bronze could take a good edge that was also smooth, something like modern shaving began to take place. Yet think of this: even at this time men shaved 'dry' - that is, without the lubricating benefit of soap. It wasn't until the start of the Christian era that soap was in common use for washing and, for shaving, it was thought to have been a while longer before some genius decided to give it a go. The rest, as they say, is history.

So, men of the World, think yourselves lucky. No longer do you need to have a bonfire to remove your beard, or have to undergo what in most places would be condemned as something best befitting the worst exploits of the Spanish Inquisition. Shaving rash? Won't seem so bad now, will it?

Dolls Houses - A Scale Guide

Dolls Houses

A Scale Guide for First Time Buyers or Makers

If you are embarking on making or buying a dolls house or even a newcomer to the hobby and a little puzzled about the different scales available then look no further, you will find all you need to know here.

1/12th Scale

The most popular scale is 1/12th. The furniture and accessories for this scale are the most widely available, both commercially made and otherwise. It is easy to manage for the young and old alike and as well as a very wide variety of items available for adult collectors, there are also several ranges of chunky furniture for children too.

Dolls House shops carry 1/12th Scale as their main range, so if you are buying a first house foran adult collector or planning to make a first house for a child, then this is the safest scale to make it itn, ensuring the easy availability of items to furnish and accessorise it.

1/12th scale is 1 inch equals 1 foot, which is a good round equation to work out if you are about to make a plan for a house yourself. Basically the measurements of a real house can be directly converted to inches. For example if your ceilings are 8 foot hight, then in 1/12th scale, this would equal 8 inches high.

1/24th Scale

This scale is great for the dolls house enthusiast with limited space. The measurement equation of this scale is 1/2 inch to 1 foot. So basically a 1/24th scale dolls house is half the height, half the depth and half the width of a 1/12th scale house. This scale is not as popular as 1/12th scale and furniture and accessories for this scale are presently harder to find, possibly because the items for this scale are very small and people may find them fiddly, preferring their larger counterpart 1/12th scale. for this reason.

There is a much smaller range of commercially made furniture and accessories available in this scale and the furniture styles are limited. However, there are some wonderful houses available in this scale in all different shapes and sizes for those willing to search for them.

Prospective buyers will need to seek out specialist makers of this scale. There are several ways to do this, one of them being through one of the dolls house magazines on the market - they have many advertisements for specialist makers and shops also. There is also a large number of dolls house fairs regularly up and down the country, details of which can also be found in the dolls house magazines. I would highly reccommend a vistit to one, as there are many makers and commercial sellers all under one roof and it is like seventh heaven for a dolls house enthusiast.

As you may have gathered by now, this is not a reccommended scale for a first dolls house nor a dolls house for a child - a 1/24th scale house should only be made for an adult if it is requested and also if the person who is to take possession of the house is aware that the accessories and furnishings will be more difficult for them to track down, as well as the size being more fiddly.

The above two scales are the two main ones of the era.

1/16th Scale

This is a slightly more difficult scale for conversion purposes as the equasion for this scale is 1/4 inch equals 1 foot. The only 'new' items available for this scale to my knowledge are Lundby who have brought out a new range of furniture and accessories. Lundby dolls houses have apparently been available since the 1940's and some of the furniture and accessories can be found on ebay and in specialist shops on the internet which can be found through your search engine.

Other vintage furniture in this scale can also be found using keywords such as Barton, Carolines home, triang spot-on, dol-toi and lundby in your search engine. Places selling these items will give you more clues to other vintage lines.

Even though the vintage houses such as Triang are very popular and sought after, buyers have to settle for the commercially made lundby or vintage items in their houses as there are very few if any specialist makers that make items in this scale, from personal experience this is because of the difficulty in the conversion of sizes, trying to calculate the proportions of 1/16th scale fimo food items is not as easy as making in 1/24th or 1/12th.

Again, this is another scale that is not advised when making a dolls house for a child or adult unless it is particularly requested.

1/48th Scale

I will only touch on this scale briefly as it is an extremely specialised scale and relatively new also. Measuring in at only 1/4 inch to 1 foot. There is presently as far as I know no commercially made items available for this scale and is only made by a few specialist makers - it may be worth trying a search in the USA as this scale may be more popular and widely available over there. This is a very tiny and fiddly scale, but lovely and great for anyone with very limited space.

Yet again - not at all suitable for a first house and most definatly not suitable for a child.

I hope you have found this guide helpful and informative.Please vote to let me know if it has been any use to you.

Thank you for looking.

Collecting Tintin and Herge books

Well, here is a guide to collecting Tintin memorabilia (mostly books) on eBay.

As a short introduction, the 24 Adventures of Tintin are a comic book series written and drawn by the Belgian Georges Remi, commonly known as Herge. The books star young reporter Tintin, his little fox terrier Snowy, and a multitude of other characters, most notably old sea dog Captain Haddock, bumbling detectives Thomson and Thompson, and deaf genius Professor Calculus.

In the english language, all 24 of these books have been released. There has also been several activity books, special editions, and biographies released about the series and it's creator. In french, far, far more have been produced, with new ones released by Moulinsart (the merchandise part of the Herge Foundation) every few months. As collecting french books would be very costly due to the amount and incredibly difficult, this guide concentrates on collecting english books. That's not to say that a few french language books in your collection will do it any harm, of course they won't. In fact, some of these english books can be bought for far cheaper in french so if you speak the language why not give those a try. If you intend to buy foreign language booksremember that it is far better to set your search options to search worldwide.

Of course, a complete set of the books is an excellant collection in itself, which will bring you hours of entertaining reading, over and over again, but only 22 of the books are currently available in paperback (all 24 are available in hardback) . I would definately suggest getting the full set before you try to buy other, rarerbooks, designed mainly for the collector.

Foreign language editions are always an interesting part in any set, and books in French, Dutch, German and Chinese can be bought usually for a small sum. Otherlanguages, such as Thai and Bengali tend to go for a bit more. Again, setting search options to look worldwide is a good option.

First editions are generally readily available, particularly the "Tintin in the Congo" colour first edition, which was only released in 2006. Usually the older first editions go for around 20-30. For US first editions, they go for more generally, as they were published by Golden Press books and have often deteriated due to the nature of the materials used to make the books. Prices for these really vary, particularly due to condition. The least you would probably pay for a golden press edition would be 20.

Three Film Books have been released. These are books not written by Herge but based on the Tintin films. The first two, "Tintin and the Golden Fleece" and "Tintin and the Blue Oranges", rarely go for under 50 and were only published in the 1960s. The french editions are far cheaper and are readily available on eBay France. The third book, "Tintin and the Lake of Sharks" is readily available in both paperback and hardback in english, having been published on numerous occasions.

Biographies and Companions are often a good resource for studying tintinology. "TintinThe Pocket Essentials" is a very cheap and useful guide, however is more of a referance book containing many dates of publications etc. rather than a good read. "Tintin the Complete Companion" by Michael Farr is a very informative book, filled with pictures, and particularly useful if you are interested in the sources Herge used to draw from. This is still readily available from under 10. "Tintin and the World of Herge" by Benoit Peeters is very informative too and has a section on biography as well. This goes for around 20 and often copies are ex-library for some reason. "Tintin and Herge Reporters" by Philip Goddin usually gooes for around 30 . "Tintin, Herge and his creation" by the late Harry Thompson is an excellant unofficial book, though it contains very few images. This goes for anywhere from17 to 30 . Another interesting piece is found in english in the book "Drawn and Quarterly 4". This is a comic about the life of Herge entitled "The Adventures of Herge". Recently, several more books have been published to coincide with Herge's centenary, such as a set of books, each on a different character.

The Making of Tintin series is four books each containing one of the two part stories, such as one has "The Secret of the Unicorn" and "Red Rackham's Treasure". The first one, containing the afore mentioned stories, is the most common, usually reaching 20, while the others reach 40 .

Activity and Puzzle books. These are mostly for young children, but can still bulk upyour collection. "The Tintin Games Book" is still readily available in both paperback and hardback for around 7. Recently, the "Tintin

What's wrong with my speaker?

There are usually three main sections in the workings of a full-range speaker enclosure; the crossover board, the low-frequency driver and the high-frequency driver. The most common parts to fail are one or both of the drivers. A simple test for a speaker cab (or an actual speaker) needs nothing more than a 9 volt battery and a reliable speaker cable with bare wires at one end and the connector for your speaker enclosure at the other. If you plug the cable into your speaker enclosure and touch the two bare wires to the terminals of the battery (try to get positive and negative the right way around), the enclosure should make a 'clicking' sound. If it doesn't then you either have a fault with the internal crossover board, or both low and high-frequency drivers have blown. If the cab does make a sound, then you can put your ear to each driver in turn and use the battery test to check whether they're working; if either driver makes no sound, then it's probably blown. You should confirm this by removing it from the enclosure and touching the battery to the terminals of the driver. Again, if the driver doesn't click, then it's blown. This is an effective but crude but way of fault-finding and it's worth bearing in mind that just because a driver is working, it doesn't mean that it's working faultlessly. Crossover board repairs will usually need to be carried out by a service engineer; high-frequency drivers can usually be repaired by replacing the working part which is called a diaphragm, and low-frequency drivers will usually need replacing, re-coning or in the case of manufacturers like Peavey you can buy a 'field-reaplceable' basket assembly which is quite easy to fit.

Thrifty living

Thrifty Living
Dandelion/Stinging nettles

For those of you who are interested in living a thrifty life style. Please read on

I amhoping to embark shortly on a thrifty life style, cutting down my work load and doing ebay on a part time basis.So i have been scouring the internet on how to look for food that is free

So far the only things i can identifyare dandelion and stinging nettles,whichi know are safe to eat

I have started experimenting with dandelion.I have so farmadea tonic,stir fryand pickled dandelion leaves

To my a tonic: Just dry out some dandelion leaves until they crumble, place in a glass jar and seal with a lid.When you want a "pick me up" boils some water add a few leave and brew.If you which to have more flavor just add some juice of your chose

To make pickle dandelion leaves: Pick a generous amount of leaves, wash well and chop finely.Place in a jar of vinegar.Seal and leave for 6 weeks mmmdelicious.Add to cheese sandwiches or use on the side of a roast dinner

To make my stir fry: I thought why am i wasting all those peelings from my sunday dinner.I decide to soak them(all peelings carrots, potatoes...) and once clean iput them in a fry pan.Once everything was nearly cooked i went to gather my goods from the garden.So little basket in hand, i picked dandelion flowers + leaves,I also collected rosemary,mint, and chives.Once i was back inside i washed it all throughly and finely chopped all greens.I then added it to my stir fry and left the dandelionflowers whole.(find you have farto much peelings? just put them in your compost bin)Once composted iuse itto keep the weeds down in my garden(saves on wood chip).I wonder why my plants are gigantic this year

Well my next attempt at cooking something from the wild will be this weekend when i plan to make a lasagne using stinging nettles or dandelion leaves.

(YUK didn't thing much to eating stinging nettles.So not going to be able to live on them_

I also hope to make some syrup out of dandelion flowers but not sure if i've missed out this year

Later this evening when its not so hoti wll pop into my garden and plant some potatoes, which i have in the cupboard growing eyes and ears.(i did this once as a child andtheygrew enormous)

Gym clubs

Who needs a gym to go to.I have my own exercise facility,sauna and sun bed

Why pay all that money on these 3 items.Houseworks and gardeningkeeps me very fit.Once the sun is out a brisk walk in the countryside or an off road bike ride in the forest does wonders( don't half make your bum ache tho)

I can have a lovely sauna in my bath(its hot enough, or just open my dishwasher on the dry cycle gives a great facial

Who needs a sun bed. Just pull out your garden lounger or go to the beach for the day( of course when its really sunny)

Well thats cost me next to nothing............

My Wardrobe

I plan to replace nothing in my wardrobe for a year,but thought i few of my t-shirts are far to cropped.So have decide to use 2 crop t-shirts to make one long one.I will need to cut the bottom of one and sew on to the other.

Remaining part of t-shirt, can be used has a tankini top to go with my shorts......

more to follow

For ladies only

I have now done away with all shop bought panty liners and tampons, and have opted for the mooncup.I purchased some cloth bought panty liners and then decided to make a few of my own out of an old nighty(thick,soft cotton material)I have been doing this for a couple of months now and ithas cut downmy shopping bill some(if you are interested in purchasingany of these items pleasecontact me and i will give you the websites)

Food store

Had some tomatoes in my fridge today lookinga bitsorry. Good for the compost heap, perhaps? or not? So decided to make a salsa out of them with a little bit of onion and chilli seasonings.Made 2 jars one for the fridge and one for the freezer.

SOAP MAKING

16 oz. lard (melt lard using medium heat before putting in blender) 2.15 oz. lye 7 oz. COLD water 1 long sprig of rosemary (about 10 inches)

melt the lard, as said, and put in the blender.

In a separate glass or plastic container put 7 oz. cold water, to the water add 2.15 oz lye. stir the water/lye mixture until it turns clear.

While the lard is melting and the lye is cooling, take the fresh rosemary and blend it until it is almost a powder. I use my coffee bean grinder for about 45 seconds. You could probably blend it in the blender as easily. If there are chunks of rosemary left, take them out.

When the lye water turns clear it is ready to add to the blender. Slowly pour the water/lye mixture into the blender. Put the top on the blender and put a towel on top of the lid to protect against splashes. Mix the soap on low until it starts to trace. Check it about once a minute. It took about 3 minutes to trace for me.

Once it traces, pour the soap into your molds. I used the sylicone muffin tins, they came out looking like seafoam green muffins with flat tops. Cover them in a blanket overnight. The next day they should be ready to come out of the molds. Let them air dry somewhere away from heat and light. Test them in about a week, they should be ready to use.

MAKING FIRE LOGS

1 Collect your free newspaper, shredded confidential waste, loo rolls tubes and kitchen roll tubes in a pile on the floor

2. Fold one sheet of newspaper in half, place the kitchen roll tube along the shortest edge of the paper leaving a 5 millimetre of cardboard tube hanging over.

3. Roll the tube in the newspaper, so you still have the 5mm of tube sticking out of one end of the paper tube.

4. The oppersite end of the tube you fold over the newspaper on itself, like wrapping a preasent, but without the use of sticky backed plastic.

5. You can now pull out the kitchen roll tube from inside the now formed newspaper tube (hence the need for the 5mm bit left protuding), to use again, and again to make further logs.

6. Stuff away with your shredded credit card bills and final demands, using a suitable prod (mine is an unwanted xmas preasent from my Aunt in the form of an ugly set of wooden salad servers) untill the tube is about 2/3 full.

7. Fold over the remaining end to finish off your wrapped tube of rubbish

The smaller loo roll tubes, I find best to leave inside the paper as they are too fiddly to remove for reuse.

Depending how hard you ram will effect the burning propeties, but it certainly reduces the volume of shredded paper to minimal, useful logetts

Enjoy stuffing!

WHAT BURNS BEST

Alder: Poor heat output and short lasting. A low quality firewood. Produces nice charcoal that burn steady and is useful for homemade gunpowder.

Apple: Great fuel that bums slow and steady when dry, with little flame, sparking or spitting. It has a pleasing scent. It is easier to cut green. Great for cooking.

Ash: Considered one of the burning wood with steady flame and good heat output. It will bum when green, but not as well as when dry. Easy to saw and split.

Beech: Similar to ash, but only burns fair when green. If it has a fault, it may shoot embers out a long way. It is easy to chop.

Birch: This has good heat output but burns quickly. The smell is also pleasant. It will burn unseasoned. Can cause gum deposits in chimney if used a lot. Rolled up pitch from bark makes a good firestarter and can be peeled from trees without damaging them.

Blackthorn: Burns slowly, with lots of heat and little smoke.

Cedar: This is a great wood that puts out a lot of lasting of heat. It produces a small flame, a nice scent, and lots of crackle and pop. Great splitting wood. Best when dry but small pieces can be burned unseasoned. Good for cooking.

Cherry: A slow burning wood with good heat output. Has a nice sent. Should be seasoned well. Slow to start.

Chestnut: A mediocre fuel that produces a small flame and weak heat output. It also shoots out ambers.

Douglas Fir: A poor fuel that produces little flame or heat.

Elder: A mediocre fuel that burns quickly without much heat output and tends to have thick acrid smoke. The Hag Goddess is known to reside in the Elder tree and burning it invites death. Probably best avoided.

Elm: A variable fuel (Dutch elm disease) with a high water content (140%) that may smoke violently and should be dried for two years for best results. You may need faster burning wood to get elm going. A large log set on the fire before bed will burn till morn. Splitting can be difficult and should be done early on.

Eucalyptus: A fast burning wood with a pleasant smell and no spitting. It is full of sap and oils when fresh and can start a chimney fire if burned unseasoned. The stringy wood fiber may be hard to split and one option is to slice it into rings and allow to season and self split. The gum from the tree produces a fresh medicinal smell on burned which may not be the best for cooking with.

Hawthorn: Good firewood. Burns hot and slow. Traditionally gathered as bundles or 'faggots' for burning in winter.

Hazel: An excellent fast burning fuel but tends to burn up a bit faster than most other hard woods. Allow to season.

Holly: A good firewood that will burn when green, but best if dried a year. It is fast burning with a bright flame but little heat.

Hornbeam: Burns almost as good as beech with a hot slow burning fire.

Horse Chestnut: A low quality firewood with a good flame and heating power but spits a lot.

Laburnum: Completely poisonous tree with acrid smoke that taints food and is best never used.

Larch: Crackly, scented, and fairly good for heat. It needs to be seasoned well and forms an oily soot in chimneys.

Laurel: Produces a brilliant flame.

Lilac: Thinner branches make good kindling, whilst the thicker burn well with a clear flame and a very pleasant smell

Lime: A poor quality fuel with dull flame. Good for carving though! A bit of a waste to burn it.

Maple: A good firewood.

Oak: Oak has a sparse flame and the smoke is acrid if not seasoned for two years after WINTER

FELLING. Summer felled Oak takes YEARS to season well. Dry old oak is excellent for heat, burning slowly and steadily until whole log collapses into cigar-like ash.

Pear: Burns with good heat, good scent and no spitting. Needs to be seasoned well.

Pine species generally: (Including the dreaded Leylandii) Bums with a splendid flame, but apt to spit. Needs to be seasoned well and is another oily soot in chimney wood. Smells great and its resinous wood makes great kindling. Best used on an outdoor fire in the cold evening of a day out in the garden!

Plane: Burns pleasantly, but is apt to throw sparks if very dry.

Plum: Wood provides good heat with a nice aromatic sent.

Poplar: A terrible fuel that doesn't burn well and produces a black choking smoke even when seasoned.

Rowan: A good firewood that burns hot and slow.

Rhododendron: Old thick and tough stems burn well.

Robinia (Acacia): Burns slowly, with good heat, but with acrid smoke. Not a problem in a stove!

Spruce: A poor firewood that burns too quickly and with too many sparks.

Sycamore: Burns with a good flame, with moderate heat. Useless green.

Sweet Chestnut: Burns when seasoned but tends to spits continuously and excessively.

Thorn: One of the best firewoods. Burns slowly, with great heat and little smoke.

Walnut: Low to good value to burning. It a nice aromatic scent.

Wellingtonia (Giant Sequoia): Poor for use as a firewood.

Willow: A poor fire wood that must be dry to use. Even when seasoned, it burns slowly, with little flame. Apt to spark.

Yew: This burns slowly, with fierce heat. The scent is pleasant. Another carving favorite.

AQUIRINGWOOD FOR FREE

Body Piercing Training Courses

Body Piercing Training - For More detail click here

Whether you require a body piercing course, advanced training, or a tailor made package, there is something for you in our comprehensive range of professional body piercing courses and services.

Each Pierce Artist Training option has been designed, and is delivered by, Pierce Artist's senior piercer Tracy Perkins. Tracy, who has over 10 years of professional body piercing experience, has owned and managed a series of highly successful body piercing salons throughout both the UK and Europe.

Tracy, as well as teaching advanced body piercing methods for 6 years, runs and manages, a highly successful body piercing consultancy service which has helped many people to open their own salons, realise their dreams and achieve their primary goal of running a successful body piercing business.

Four Day Professional Body Piercing Course

The Professional Body Piercing Course is our most popular training option for for people wishing to learn body piercing. The course provides in-depth theoretical and practical information and is geared towards people without any previous body piercing experience. This training course is broken down over four one day modules, which can be taken over consecutive days or spread over specific dates to suit your schedule requirements.

The objective of this course is to provide students with a clear set of guidelines, safe practical piercing skills and a foundation from which they can build their body piercing skills upon. Each day is split into two sections. Body piercing technique and practical body piercing. At the end of each day students will have the opportunity to put the theory into practice and pierce a series of models in the parts of the body they have trained on that day.

Course Topics

Students will first undergo a theory course which provides the background information relevant to body piercing.

The other three modules focus on practical piercing training.

The Navel and Tongue Piercing Module
The Nipples and Facial Piercing Module
The Nose and Ear piercing Module

Completion of the course will provide provide persons wishing to enter into a career in body piercing with an in-depth working knowledge and understanding of body piecing and the body piercing industry as well as practical skills and techniques. The course is held at the Pierce Artist Training centre in Manchester

Module 1 - Body Piercing Theory

The Body Piercing Theory module is based over one day. The objective of the course is to deliver in-depth information about the most relevant factors that affect and govern the body piercing industry. Over the day there will be practical exercises and demonstrations.

Topics covered include a medical overview relevant to body piercing, tools training and technique, health and safety, customer service, jewellery selection and placement, practical piercing theory, studio management, record keeping, sterilisation and body piercing law. Complementary refreshments and lunch will be served

Module 2 - Navel and Tongue

The Navels and Tongue module is an intensive one day course, broken into two parts; the first part is devoted to learning the placement of the piercings, the jewellery selection, tools skills and the various piercing techniques, with the second part being given over to practical body piercing.

Models will be provided for the practical body piercing session. The types of practical piercings undertaken by students will be decided by the availability of models. This course will provide students with a firm grounding on the safe efficient and hygienic method of piercing the navel and Tongue regions as well as practical skills. During the Navel and Tongue module you will be taught to pierce efficiently and accurately using the innovative industry leading Pierce Artist tool set. Complementary refreshments and lunch will be served

Module 3 - Facial and Nipple The Facial and Nipple module is an intensive one day course, broken into two parts; the first part is devoted to learning the placement of the piercings, the jewellery selection, tools skills and the various piercing techniques, with the second part being given over to practical body piercing.

Models will be provided for the practical body piercing session. The types of practical piercings undertaken by students will be decided by the availability of models. This course will provide students with a firm grounding on the safe efficient and hygienic method of piercing the nipple and facial regions as well as practical skills. Complementary refreshments and lunch will be served

Module 4 - Nose and Ear

The Nose and Ear module is an intensive one day course, broken into two parts; the first part is devoted to learning the placement of the piercings, the jewellery selection, tools skills and the various piercing techniques, with the second part being given over to practical body piercing.

Models will be provided for the practical body piercing session. The types of practical piercings undertaken by students will be decided by the availability of models. This course will provide students with a firm grounding on the safe efficient and hygienic method of piercing the nose and ear regions as well as practical skills. Complementary refreshments and lunch will be served.

About the Tutor

Each Pierce Artist Training module has been designed and is delivered by Pierce Artist's senior piercer Tracy Perkins. Tracy, who has over 10 years of professional body piercing experience and has owned and managed a series of highly successful body piercing salons throughout both the UK and Europe.Tracy has been teaching advanced body piercing methods for 7 years and is a regular exhibitor at leading Tattoo and body piercing conventions including The State of the Art convention at Derby, The Mantra show in Cheltenham, The granite City Tattoo convention in Aberdeen. Dublin Tattoo show and The Cardiff Tattoo Show. In recognition of her industry leading position.Tracy is regularly invited as a guest speaker at piercing events and seminars throughout the country and is widely acknowledged as the designer of the world's first surgical standard body piercing instrument set designed specifically for body piercing. These revolutionary body piercing tools are used internationally by many of the world's leading body piercers and are widely accepted as the most innovative breakthrough in body piercing instrument technology. Tracy also runs a highly successful body piercing consultancy service which has helped many people to open their own salons, realise their dreams and achieve their primary goal of running a successful body piercing business. She could also help you to open your very own studio and put your new skills into practice for yourself.

Student Comments''Fast, fun, fierce. Definitely a new breed of piercing. Quality service, Very enjoyable and educational. I would highly recommend. 'Enjoyed the course very much.'' Stephen Lovell Medical Student Liverpool ''Fantastic I would definitely recommend the training to anyone that seriously wants to become a piercer. Very professionally delivered. I can't say enough. really good fun learnt loads.'' Aime Shimmin. Customer Services Representative Bradford

''Brilliant course, I would highly recommend. the course to anyone who is considering a career in body piercing'' Brett Proctor. Builder Rochdale

''Brilliant! Learnt so much, got so much practice in. Tracy was fantastic, very professional, friendly and helpful. I feel confident doing piercing now. Thank you so much! '' Laura. Student Bolton

Fake disney dvds on ebay with holograms

Ok so... ive been buying dvds off ebay and it seems that fakes now come with hologramsBelow is an essential list all disney dvds have to ensure there not fakes1)"Disney dvd" inside the box on the actual box2)the box is purple3)the disks arnt see through4)they have the title of the movie around the inside of teh disk on the disk not picture dide5)the images arnt pritned onto the dvd, there on a sticker then the dvd6)there is usually a grid on the back with language, subtitles and a hologram7)the copyright fact logo should be on the back of the boxto make the fake imports ligal the product has to differ from that which disney produce, so there are several minor differences, there will be more that what i have listed above, but this is so far what ive noticed.

NatWest Pigs and Cousin Wesley

I have enjoyed collecting NatWest Pigs and Cousin Wesley, and purchasing them off eBay, which I shall continue to do for some time. This guide is just going to be short and sweet.

There are are lot of NatWest Pigs and Cousin Wesley's on eBay that are fake and are not 100% geniune! That is why you should clarify with the best NatWest Pig's websites on the World Wide Web i.e.go on google and type in "C

What kind of garage door should i buy

When looking for a garage door, you notice that there are two major designs:up and over garagedoors and sectionalroller garagedoors. Sectionalroller garagedoors are more expensive than tilt-up doors, but the extra cost is well worth it.Tilt-up doors consist of a single panel of material. To open the door, you have to pull it out and pivot it up to slide it along the roof of your garage. Sectional roll-up doors, on the other hand, are made of a number of horizontal sections. Each section is hinged to the next section, allowing the door a certain degree of flexibility. Because the door is mounted on rollers, to open a sectional roll-up door you just have to lift the door and it will roll into place along the roof of your garage.Sectional roll-up doors are superior to tilt-up doors. From a purely practical point they take up less room. Because you dont have to pull the door out, there will be more room in front of your garage door for things like your car. The door will also take up less room in the garage, since it can be placed higher up than a tilt-up door.What should my Garage Door be made of?Garage doors, both tilt-ups and sectional roll-ups, are primarily made from wood or steel. Of these two materials, wood is the cheaper and arguably more attraction option. If you decided to get a wooden door please keep in mind that just like your deck, a wooden garage door will be more easily damaged by the weather than a steel door. If you live in a particularly hot or cold climate, you may find your self with a warped or damaged garage door.Steel garage doors are more expensive, but you will not face the same problems that you would encounter with a wood door. If you decide to get a steel door the main thing to check is that it has been properly prepared to prevent rust.Garage doors are also occasionally made with aluminium or fibreglass. While both of these materials are less expensive than steel doors, you should be careful when using them. Neither material is as strong as steel so they will not hold up to the usual wear and tear of a garage door. And once again depending on your climate, they will not be as energy efficient as a steel door if that is a concern to you.How do I look after my Garage Door?Just like any other exterior surface on your house, your garage door will need periodic maintenance to keep it working smoothly and looking as good as the rest of your house. Youd be surprised how the look of your garage door not only affects the overall look of your house, but the perceived value of your house too.No matter what material your garage door is made of, it should be washed regularly. If you have a wood door, you should repaint the door every other year to ensure that the wood stays protected. If you have a steel door, you can give it a yearly shine with car waxTo prolong the life of the mechanical parts, you should lubricate all moving parts with motor oil whenever the door starts to feel sluggish.Safety Concerns with Garage DoorsEvery year, children are seriously injured from accidents involving garage doors. To avoid these preventable accidents, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends that you should only use automatic garage door openers if they have an automatic reverse function. This will reverse the closing of the garage door if an obstacle is encountered.

Buying a LX200

Beware, many of the LX200s offered on ebay are scams. Frequently posted by new ebayers (0 feedback) many are simply copies of listings from USA. Before you send a lot of money by paypal or (worse) bank transfer, check that the item actually exists. Ask for a photo with that day's paper, or taken at a particular angle. Anyone with this sort of kit to sell will own a digital camera, I promise you. Ask about collection, any reputable seller will allow this for heavy, delicate and valuable equipment.

Lastly, report anything suspicious to ebay, they do remove dodgy adverts once someone tells them!