Full-Size Power Loader Costume from Aliens At one point or another, I remember having seen all of the Alien movies in my youth. I'd always remembered the xenomorphs, but specifically the Alien Queen, and the awesome fight between her and Ripley in the Power Loader. As the the beginning of the school semester neared, I wanted to make something really cool to finish off the summer break. I made the Alien Queen in the first 2 weeks of August. Then I figured with the last few weeks I could make a Power Loader as well, using a lot of the same cheap and lightweight materials that I used for the Queen (mainly foam boards, hot glue, and spray paint). I was titillated at the idea that I could be the only person who had ever made a life-size Power Loader and Alien Queen. Shortly before beginning construction, I looked around to see what other Power Loader costumes had been made before. Firstly, I wanted mine to be truly life-sized. Good research and reference was critical.
Dublin's long-lost Viking sister city finally rediscovered You know, in Dublin in the 1970s the almost perfectly preserved houses of middle-period Viking Dublin were discovered along the Liffey during excavations for some (ironically) urban planing offices. The excavation was several stories high, and even the city walls were preserved, enabling one to walk along the ramparts (now below ground level). The government appointees in charge of the project were mostly from the rival Irish city of Cork, and some say this influenced their decision to demolish the entire site in order to pour concrete foundations for the incredibly ugly buildings. The Danish government at the time pleaded with Ireland to preserve the site and were confident that it could be awarded UNESCO World Heritage status. [secure.wikimedia.org] Also, while the Vikings built up at the site of the ford of the Liffey, there was undoubtedly one or several settlements in the region for at least a millenia. [secure.wikimedia.org]
2011 Chevrolet Volt requires... premium gas? Yup. As we're sure you've noticed by now, General Motors has been making lots and lots of waves over the past few days announcing the pricing information (finally!) of its 2011 Chevrolet Volt. And, you also likely know that the car is capable of traveling at least 40 miles per charge without using a single drop of gasoline. But hat happens when the time comes that you need to pump some good ol' crude into the tank? Yes, you read that right. There is a possibility, however, that the car's engineers were able to wrestle a bit more efficiency from its constant-load engine/generator setup by using higher octane fuel. We do feel compelled to point out that it probably doesn't really matter all that much that the Volt requires premium fuel considering how little gasoline the average user is likely to go through any given month, but still... Your mileage may vary, indeed. [Source: GM, The Truth About Cars]